Royal Academics
by shadowcat238
Summary: What really happened to Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee when they were at the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls? Scandal. Intrigue. Betrayal. What else are friends for?
1. Preface

_**Royal Academics **_

* * *

The Story I promised and posted by popular demand.

Beta-d/cowritten by darkavatar13, thanks a bunch!

* * *

**Azula's Story**

"The Fire Nation academy for girls?" Azula exclaimed incredulously to her instructor.

Ling, a middle-aged woman with recent fading looks out of the stress of training this spoiled, penurious, and egotistical girl whom every knee of the Fire Nation had to bow down to and call her their 'Princess' and 'Prodigy', nodded.

Azula was right now 7 and out of control. Ling had contacted a few friends at the royal academy and they were honored to think that they would house the prodigy of the Fire Nation for the next 7 years. It would take a lot off her hands if she put Azula there.

Maybe then she can take a nice vacation for a while.

"Yes, it is an academy where you go to learn even more advanced arts." Ling cleverly lied.

Actually, the academy was where many high-classed noblemen sent their 'unwanted' daughters from when they were 4 until they were 15 or so, or where aristocratic girls could learn the appropriate arts.

The reason Ling had wanted Azula to go was because though she was a mild-tempered woman and very patient, Azula had just sucked away every last shard of her patience and sanity when trying to train her, and the 2 had barely known each other for 8 months!

When Ling came, her hair was black. Now, it was grey and white with maybe one strand of black.

The academy would do her some good.

They had strict discipline rules that evenOzai himself favored and even if his 'little princess' came crying to him, he would say rules were rules.

Even his prodigy wouldn't be able to escape.

"I have already spoken with your father. Your bags are already packed, your stay arranged, and you shall leave at first light in the morning." Ling said, rising and bowing out of her status.

As she left the room, a huge grin spread across her face.

She did not have to deal with that girl anymore.

* * *

**Mai's Story**

"We have to do something about her; that crush on Prince Zuko is going to ruin her!" Mai's mother hissed at her husband.

"So what if she likes him? Many girls do." he replied calmly to his wife.

"Well, when she grows up, she will make mistakes because of her, er, infatuation for him! And the one thing we cannot do here in the high class is make mistakes!" Mai's mother almost demanded.

"That is true, but where can we send her?" the father asked in an almost amused tone.

"I was hoping you would ask that." Without another word, Mai's mother unfolded a scroll.

"The Fire Nation Royal Academy for girls?" the father asked, an eyebrow rose as he leaned forward to read.

"Azula is already going and most likely Ty Lee also will. She has good friends and this is a place to teach her the arts." What she really meant was to take those emotions that Mai was already showing on the outside and store them away.

"Why not? It has been quite a time before we have both had time to ourselves." He mused with a smile.

"Mai is already packing as we speak. She will go with Azula in the morning."

* * *

**Ty Lee's Story**

"But mommy—!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

"I'm sorry; Ty Lee, but you just can't tell anyone." Ty Lee's mother said softly to her.

What she meant was that Ty Lee just couldn't tell anyone that her father had...touched her. He didn't do anything else; just touch her in the most inappropriate places. But in this case, it was preserving her own reputation more than Ty Lee's.

If word got out that her husband was molesting his own daughter, and not to mention the fact that they barely shared a bed anymore, then she would be sneered out as an ice woman; one who could not give a man pleasure.

"I told you." Ty Lee said frankly to her mother.

Her mother desperately racked her brains for something to do; what could she do? It would cause too much scandal if Ty Lee disappeared or turned up dead, she was too young to marry and maybe could be betrothed, but it would take years before she was married to her fiancé.

And then it hit her.

Her friends, Azula and Mai, both were leaving for the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls. It was a perfect place to bundle Ty Lee off to! Everyone knows that there is plenty of gossip and scandals there, but the academy has grown too skeptical to believe any of them so no matter what Ty Lee said, no one would believe her.

"Ty Lee, how would you like to go to the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls? You can join your friends, Mai and Azula, there." her mother said in the kindest tone she could muster.

At once, Ty Lee's face perked up and she clapped her hands out of happiness.

"I'll start packing!" she exclaimed and ran to her rooms.

Her mother watched after her and smiled.

Perfect.

* * *

Next Morning

"So we're all just going to be going to this school?" Mai asked Ty Lee.

"Yup. It'll be just like our childhood!" she exclaimed.

"Well, let's hope the academy isn't just some academy where girls learn how to dress up, as I've heard." Azula said bluntly and looked out the window of the carriage they were into see where just the tip of the tower of the academy lay in plain sight.

* * *

A time and so later, they carriage approached the front gate.

All 3 girls pushed open the sun-window at the top of the carriage and poked their heads out.

Before them, there was a tall iron gate painted black and, stuck on certain bars, was a the intertwined letters of **_FNRA_**, supposedly standing for Fire Nation Royal Academy, and, as the gate opened and the carriage proceeded inside, the palace was quite a view.

In the front entrance, green and lush grass was spread throughout the ground just like in a perfect painting. Sakurako trees were planted in various places all around the front yard and special landscapes of certain flower planting seemed to magnify the glorious look of the Academy; making it seem as if it was a forbidden Heaven on Earth only few could enter. Stone pathways lay down by labor and paste lined where any habitant within the boundaries of the academy could walk without staining their clothes. Willow trees were also common, mostly just behind the gates, to give the academy that secluded look.

Elaborately carved stone benches rested near the walkway and there were some other older girls already sitting there, eating or chatting away. When the chatting girls noticed the carriage, they all looked up and silenced as they stared at the 3 young girls until the carriage passed through to the inner courtyard.

The Academy itself was painted a shade of blood-like crimson and vast in its size.

High towers peaked from the dormitories amongst other places and, with few windows, seemed mysteriously beguiling to anyone who stared up at them. As usual, the roofs of the academy were slanted; paved with tiles covered in black tar and metal to fuse them together.

Windows and balconies towered over one another from where the 3 young girls were standing and, from there, they saw that some of them had small chairs or tables to sit on and a few even had laundry hanging.

At the ends of the long dormitory hallways and on the grounds of the roof, there were 2 huge pole-and-ball structures made of pure glass that showed a spiraling stairwell and, at the way top of the planetarium-like orb, there seemed to be a large observation deck on both of them. Leading from there, at the center of the roof, there was a long chain of sitting areas and a walkway up there with canvas-like covers to pose as the roof and windows.

At the doors, various scrolls and charms hung from a few gazebo-like porches in front of the doors and nearly every one of them had a wind chime or a good-luck spell written on a piece of sticky paper and stuck to one of the beams.

Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai all gasped.

Before them, there was a large circular walkway of pure black granite and it surrounded a large alabaster fountain lined with gold and carved into the statues were the images of a Phoenix rising from gleaming fires and a dragon intertwined with it; symbolizing the sacred and mythical animals that supposedly were the spirit guides of the Masculine and Feminine Fire and gushed pure crystal clear water.

The three girls saw that the inner courtyard was three quarters surrounded by dormitories with large windows overlooking the entire place. Bushes of flowers and now more elegantly constructed walkways were lining the ways, but there was only one path in and out of the inner courtyard; the one the carriage was currently on.

Small gazebos were placed near the entrance/exit of the inner courtyard; colored white with a tile roof.

Broad and copper etched doors gleamed in the sunlight; guarding the rooms behind them. Knockers were place at a short height for the youngest of students and were always placed over a design of copper so that the wood of the doors didn't become battered in the area the knocker was over.

The carriage traveled a half of the circular walkway and then stopped.

The driver dismounted and went through a door at their far end.

Cautiously, Azula and Ty Lee stepped out onto the walkway and looked around. The dormitories on either side of them were over thrice the size of the 'bridge' dormitory area that connected them both at the end.

What the 3 girls didn't see was Great Dining Hall, all of the classrooms, and the rest of the land of the Royal Academy.

Even outside its borders, they didn't see the geography of the island, which was truly extraordinary.

To the North of the academy, the Ueshita Mountains towered majestically over the meadows and slight forests at the foot of the mountains.

To the West, a large rift valley with jagged edges on a cliff and was a perfect place to watch the sun set, which gave the rift valley the name 'Lovers Peak'

To the South, a lovely beach of alabaster sand and a clear ocean with warmed waters. Along the beach, there were little close-in ponds of beach water on the rocks; habitats to small animals such as oyster, some fish, and much more if anyone looked closely. A bit off the coast, there was a great coral reef that could be reached from a dock and many girls could wear goggles and look underwater at the magnificent spread of the many different coral and fish dwelling near the reefs.

To the East, there was the evergreen lush forests and could seclude those who wished to disappear for a short while.

Within the thick forests, there was said to be a lagoon and waterfall pouring pure mineral water and another person claimed that at the center of the forest, there was this great clearing with a high plateau extending beyond the trees and the people who ventured there had a perfect view of the stars.

Even the ground Azula and Ty Lee were walking on held a secret; it was said that underground, there was this great and fairly deep mine that produced gold, diamonds, and power-charged crystals that was uncovered when the academy was under construction by the order of the Princess of the Fire Nation and were secretly being mined even as the 3 girls were staring out at the great buildings of the academy.

Fenced in by the gates of the Royal Academy, there was an array of flowers, walkways made of marble and granite, and many individual sculpted gardens; each with a special type of scenery and vegetation.

A few examples are a sand garden, an outdoor temple-like place with only the growing overhead plants to shroud a person in its shadows, an area for growing bamboo; there were even outdoor hot springs!

In the back, near the center, there was a great Fish pond in the shape of the Fire Nation emblem.

A 4 way bridge made of smoked and strengthened wood made walkways for the boarders and teachers.

At the sides, there were specially carved hollow Bamboo sticks that carried water. The bamboo sticks either just fell straight down into the water or fell onto another stick that, when filled enough, would fall over like a seesaw and pour the water into the pond and start over again, or onto a water wheel, or something else of the sort.

Surrounding the pond, there were blooming wisteria and Sakurako trees loomed over the large pond and tall grass grew because many people, when building this academy, believed that there should be an area dedicated to spiritual gardenia.

There was even an area at the pond that had a fountain.

The water always went through a purification system, the pond was lined with thin sheets of smooth marble in order to prevent water from absorbing into the Earth or letting the earth mix with the water and cause clogging problems with the purifying system, which boiled the unclean things out of the water and let the steam go through a vent, then condense into a separate reservoir where pumps would distribute the water into the bamboo sticks or the fountains.

To power all of this and also keep the gardens and everything else in the academy clean, girls who couldn't Firebend were the ones responsible for chores such as cleaning out the purification system or making the new sand gardens or just sweeping the floors of the academy, while Firebenders would help heat the furnaces down below that was needed for the water system and to power the workshops within the academies such as the candle making workshop, the dyeing workshop, the carpenters' workshop, and many more.

When stepping into the doors of the academy, Ty Lee and Azula gaped at the site before them. The jointing hall was HUGE!

On the walls, there were mosaics and paintings and tapestries that were behind glass cases to protect their near priceless value.

Each work of art seemed to honor the feminine instead of the masculine, but then again; it was an all-girls academy.

The walls themselves were a charcoal-like color and the columns that held the hall up were most likely alabaster painted to look like marble, Azula thought with her critiquing eye.

The columns were over 5-6 times their sizes and were firmly planted onto the ground, most likely by using metal and melting the stone to the foundation, or the columns extended downwards more than anyone knew.

Around each column, there were torches that were to be lit whenever it was night and also a ring below the torches to catch any pieces of ash and fallen ember the torches emit.

The keenest eye could see thin threads of gold melted into the stone of the columns to create shining designs that would show a great picture when light bounced to the exact precision they were supposed to on the gold.

Up ahead, there were many more pathways, probably lined with stones with layers of glass to smooth it over or something else, and Ty Lee could just make out two spiral stairwells going left and right up to two of the many towers in the academy.

On the roof, there were lines of crystal mirror-chandeliers which, as sunlight from the skylights above shined on them, they would produce and multiply many rays of light, but not to the point where it would burn paper, so there was more light to for reading and such.

Many parts of the academy had many windows along with a large amount of oil and oil lamps, candles, and many shops to make those things for the girls as part of their 'welcome' package they get when they first enroll in the academy.

Right now, class seemed to be on break and girls dressed in simple yukatas, and others in just pants and shirts, were lobbying around; some of them sitting in the chairs placed at the center of each 4 way intersection and talking to one another.

A few regarded Ty Lee and Azula with little interest, then went back to their own talk.

"Welcome." a smooth voice echoed from down the hall.

Looking straight ahead, Azula and Ty Lee saw a tall, regal-standing lady with a fan in front of her face coming towards them. She looked as if she was a teacher, judging from her tightly done hair and colored robe with a white collar.

"You must be the new student. But I heard there were 3, not 2." the woman said as she came up to Azula and Ty Lee.

She was at least twice Ty Lee's height and well-portioned.

"Our third friend...we don't know where she is." Ty Lee answered, then stuck out her hand as courtesy taught her to.

"My name is Ty Lee." She said. The older woman seemed to smile behind her fan and put it away to shake the younger girl's hand.

Only when she removed her fan was when Azula and Ty Lee saw why she hid behind that fan.

On her face, the tip of her nose, was a HUGE mole! And the mole seemed to have other moles ON the mole!

And, looking closely, both of the girls could see at least 3 hairs on the mole sticking out the most.

Ty Lee just gaped at it.

"M-m-m-m-m-m-mole." she gasped out and Azula shushed her.

"Don't say Mole." she hissed.

"Mole." Ty Lee repeated, as if in a daze.

"Stop saying Mole." Azula said, though she could hardly stop staring at it herself.

"Like I said, my name is Molady and I will be your peer counselor through your stay here at the academy..." as she talked, the mole--or was it moles, Ty Lee and Azula wondered—seemed to be bouncing up and down; like it was dancing.

Finally, both were unable to bear the sight of it anymore.

"I honestly don't care about that tolerance policy! I'm the Princess of this nation, princess over everyone here, princess over the ground you even stand on! Now I demand you to show me and my acquaintances to my room!" Azula snapped.

Molady chuffed at Azula's snapping.

"No wonder you were sent here." she murmured under her breath, then put on a fake smile again.

"It's nice to meet you." she simpered to them both, leaning down to them and giving them another full view of her mole.

"Nice to mole you--." Ty Lee began, and Azula jabbed her side

. "I mean meet you! Meet you, not milieu, which is Fa-wen _(Chinese for French)_ word for Middle. **(PS: It's a true fact)**" Ty Lee laughed nervously and Azula sighed.

"I think you'll be the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o--." Ty Lee, despite her perky self, still couldn't say it.

"...most excellent counselor there is in the academy." Azula cut in, restraining herself from blasting Ty Lee's vocal chords out.

"Again, I say nice to mole you--meet you!" Ty Lee squeaked the last words.

"Don't say mole." Azula whispered.

"Say mole." Ty Lee repeated.

"Stop!" Azula scolded her.

"OK, then." Molady said.

"Mole." Ty Lee said again.

"Have a nice day." Molday said and walked down the hall.

As she turned, Ty Lee couldn't keep it in any longer.

"Moley, moley, moley, moley, moley!" she burst out and barely even noticed that Azula bopped her on the back of her head.

"Oh, shut up!" Azula snapped at her.

"And where's Mai?"

* * *

Mai sat back in the carriage, writing down another simple song she thought of. Yes, her longtime crush on Zuko has taken a toll on her, but who else in the world was like him? She began to perfect the verse.

_Breathe in, breathe out_

_You keep me alive_

_You are my passion for life_

_My burning desire_

_My fire, my light_

_The wings of love you fly_

"An aspiring poet, I assume?" a deep voice said from behind her.

Looking up, she saw a man leaning in the hollow window panes of the carriage. He had dark hair curling around the nape of his neck, a deep golden skin tone, and dark bullion, a cross between that and ocher suited the hue more, colored eyes.

Mai couldn't see much more of him, but she could tell that he was well-built.

"Who are you?" she demanded; coming out of the spell of first sight attraction, as slight as it was.

"You must be one of the new students," he said, ignoring her question.

Mai narrowed her eyes and frowned slightly.

Suddenly, he leaned back, opened the door, and held out his hand to her.

"Care to come out?" His voice was almost hypnotizing and, unsure of what to do, Mai took his hand cautiously and stepped out.

"My name is Iroke." Iroke told her as his own golden eyes flickered over her.

Mai, deep inside, was wondering if he was one of the many people named after Prince Iroh. It was common in the Fire Nation to name a child after a member of the royal family, but as far as she knew, no one wanted to name their children with any form of Ozai or Ursa.

Maybe she should look in the history books a bit more; that was a bit odd.

And judging by Iroke's appearance, he looked like a younger, more tanned version of Iroh.

Repeatedly, when Mai was younger and was studying the Fire Nation history, she saw pictures of Prince Iroh and his wife, a retired commander due to an injury, as references to what they'd done for the Fire Nation during their time period in the century-long world war.

Mai stared at him critically; for a man who was actually allowed to enter the Girls Academy, he didn't use the rules of formality to introduce himself and not to mention properly.

"Mai." the much younger girl replied dully. She stepped down from the carriage and surveyed the scene around her.

"Where do the new students go?" she asked, looking at the formidable building before her.

"At the office. Here, I will take you there." Iroke answered.

"Does your daughter go here?" Mai asked. It was the only reason why a male would be inside the fences of the royal academy, her mother had told her. Except on special occasions, the only men allowed within were family members of the girls or administrators.

"I am a teacher here." Mai stopped and looked up at him; a male teacher at an all female school? Her mother would surely object.

Iroke stifled a laugh when he saw her face; it was the same expression that all females wore when they found out about his status as a teacher.

"I can explain later. Come on." He took her hand and led her into the hallway, to the large hall.

Despite all of her efforts, Mai could not help but blush. Her mother had taught her to never walk with another man, especially one she did not know.

"I see my friends. Thank you. Good day." She said hastily and, snatching her hand away, ran out.

Iroke went back outside and, as he was passing the carriage, noticed something through the window.

In the carriage, on the backseat, was Mai's journal.

* * *

R'n'R, please.


	2. New Roommates, for two girls, anyway

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

**Lesson 1: An Academic Lady never lets her emotions betray her**

"Where were you?" Ty Lee asked her friend.

Mai had found them and, when she approached them, Ty Lee and Azula could see that she was obviously flustered and bothered by something.

"N-nowhere." Mai replied quickly and then noticed the circular desk.

"I asked for some directions and the teacher said that the circular desk is where new students enroll. Let's go." she insisted and took off. Azula and Ty Lee stared at each other for a moment, then followed their friend.

When they got to the desk, Mai spoke to the attendant who nodded and pulled out a small stack of papers.

"Please give me your and your parents' names, and your origins." She told the 3 girls.

"Tengtang Mai, 8; daughter of General Tengtang Jung and Xinhue Shan, from the providence of Aquilo." The attendant drew a line across a piece of paper.

"Princess Azula Ouritsu, 7; daughter of Fire Lord Ouritsu Ozai and the missing Fire Lady Kuma Ursa, from the city of Kaji." Azula used the old name for the Fire Nation capital instead of Sozunio Nova, named after Fire Lord Sozun, in the way she was taught to.

"Akuro Ty Lee, 8; daughter of Count Akuro Hakanai and Countess Onna Koori, from the County of Mei-xia." At Ty Lee's words, the attendant raised her head in embarrassment and sorry.

"I-I'm sorry, but when the Council of Academics first received your file, they said that you were a…" her voice trailed off as Ty Lee stared at her.

"A what, exactly?" Ty Lee asked, hurt.

She'd always felt neglected throughout her short life, 8 years, and now was this attendant telling her that she couldn't attend the academy?

"A boy." The attendant said finally, handing Ty Lee a list of all the admitted students' names.

Her name, instead of the characters 'Ty Lee', was written as 'Tai Li'; a common boy name.

"Oh." Ty Lee simply said when she noticed the mistake.

"We—we'll notify the board of their mistake and find you a reasonable place to stay for the time being." The attendant whispered something to another one and then turned her attention to Azula and Mai.

"We've been expecting you two." She said and handed them both a red-tinted bag filled with certain things.

"These are your 'welcome to the academy' baskets. They contain your uniforms and shoes for various classes, oil lamps and spare oil for lighting at night, snack rations, maps around the academy, your prepaid books and other supplies, candles, a few hair products and perfumes, and your passes that signify that you are students here. Use them well." The attendant said simply and then pulled out two different cards with various numbers on them.

"These are your dormitory passes; you two can go and meet your roommates now." The attendant said and, taking a last glance at Ty Lee, the two girls made off to their new rooms.

* * *

'_Room 492.'_ Mai thought, looking at the number inscribed on the door.

This was the dorm number.

Twisting the doorknob and pushing it open, she found a seemingly small one-room with two sets of bunks in one corner of the room. One set of bunk beds was parallel to the northern wall while another was parallel to the eastern wall. The bunk beds were made of steel and were infused with the wall for extra safety measures.

Across from the window, there was a clear glass door leading to the balcony and just to the right of the window there was a large semi-circular desk for homework with lamps and candles on it for light.

A few feet away from the bunk beds, there were 4 chests pushed end to end for girls' personal belongings and Mai could see personal locks on 3 of them and the last one to the right was empty.

Diagonally across from the bunk beds there were shelves with baskets resting on them and they were crammed with text scrolls, books, school-issued clothing, personal belongings, makeup and other beauty products, and leisure items such as small toys and trinkets or paper dolls or paints.

"You must be the new student." A girl said to Mai from behind her.

Turning, Mai saw 3 other girls with her; all of them at least 6 years her senior.

"Room 492, right?" Mai asked and the lead girl nodded.

The three of them were dressed in black-and-white designed yukatas with a dark red sash and cloth shoes with leather soles on their feet.

"My name is Osanago Aneue and these are my friends Soso Jinai and Hinote Kokoro." The girl formally introduced and Mai inclined her head slightly to them as a sign of respect.

"Tengtang Mai." She introduced herself.

Jinai poked Kokoro on the side and whispered something to make Kokoro glance from Mai back to Jinai with an expression of amusement, pity, and slight shock.

"Weren't you the girl seen with Iroke earlier today?" Jinai asked and Mai looked down; so others had seen. Oh, her mother would be so ashamed...

"Maybe she does know." Kokoro whispered softly and Aneue shook her head.

"It's way too soon." She whispered back to them, and then turned to Mai again.

"Let's get you settled into your new room." She said with a smile and Mai nodded; feeling grateful towards her new older friend, if she could call Aneue that.

The three girls let Mai walk into the room first and helped her with her things; showing her the bottom bunk she would sleep in, finding some free baskets for her stuff, loading her clothes into her chest, telling her the schedule for first year students at the Royal Academy, and telling her the latest gossip.

As Jinai was helping Mai study a bit, Mai saw Kokoro and Aneue whispering. Kokoro, for some reason, looked worried and was speaking very rapidly and Aneue was speaking calmly in contrast to her friend's erratic tone.

Twice, she heard her name and Iroke's in the rapid dialect.

But what were they really talking about?

Kokoro seemed worried; maybe she knew more about Iroke.

But if Kokoro was concerned, why did Aneue seem so aloof? Maybe it was just something else altogether.

"So do you understand?" Jinai asked.

Mai turned and nodded quickly; in reality, she'd had no idea what Jinai had just said.

* * *

'_I've seen hovels better than this one._' Azula's first thought as she entered her dormitory; room 274.

There was a door opposite of her position that led to the balcony, on the eastern side of the room four sets of drawers that were a foot taller than she was held various articles of clothing along with personal items and a large woven basket to hold dirty clothing.

At the Northeastern corner, there was a corner desk stacked neatly with books and also well stocked with lamps and candles, but there was a window on the Northern Wall that was lined up against the desk.

On the western side, there were 3 circular queen-sized beds; just like the one she slept on back in the palace. They were lined with the best silk sheets and finest stitched blankets that were bought and also had many large throw pillows.

Azula dropped her things in the doorway and jumped up onto the biggest bed; lying back on the pillows and rolling around; feeling the stitching and the soft white velvet on the blanket.

"I could get used to this." She said aloud and closed her eyes.

"Don't get too used to it, midget; you're paying for that entire blanket now that it's got your horrid stench all over it." A cruel voice rang out.

Opening her eyes, Azula turned and saw a girl, though incredibly good looking and slim, with narrowed eyes and thinned lips that were pressed into a smirk. She wore a burnt orange yukata and her hair hung about her face; shadowing her image and making her more frightful. At her sides were probably her followers.

"Do you know who I am?" Azula demanded them.

"The little new girl who's come to work for us?" the girl on the left asked in a mocking voice.

"Another spoiled and egotistical shrimp who we will have the most fun destroying?" tittered the other one.

"Who are you all?" Azula demanded; she would disown their families with one letter to her father.

"Kyouji Kiza." The lead girl introduced.

"Tsukegaru Amaeru." The girl on Kiza's right added.

"Mesuinu Hinagata." The final girl said.

Azula felt her blood freeze, yet boil at the same time.

The Kyouji, Tsukegaru, and Mesuinu families were very high-ranked and wealthy and their ties were essential because each of the families owned a mine of resources that was needed in the Fire Nation.

The Kyouji family held a large underground mine which was filled with precious metals and jewels that the Fire Nation needed for wealth, the Tsukegaru family had a largely held influence over certain areas of the Earth Kingdom, which resulted in some Earth Kingdom soldiers of conquered lands to rise up in arms with the Fire Nation, and the Mesuinu family…Azula wasn't quite sure, but she knew that her father had talked of that specific family very often; maybe they're blackmailing him or something.

"And you're the Fire Lord's bastard daughter; figures." Kiza said with a snort.

Azula narrowed her eyes; how dare she? She was a prodigy; the Fire Lord's true daughter! Unlike the weakling of her brother, Zuzu, but she still did need him to keep Mai in her inner circle considering that practically the only reason she hung around them was to see if she could catch a glimpse of her brother.

Amaeru gave a high-pitched gasp and whispered to Hinagata, who let out an amused shriek at what she'd said.

"She doesn't know; the stupid little kuwa doesn't know! Even though her father, uncle, and even brother all know and she's been too stupid to even see what was right in front of her!" Amaeru gasped through laughs.

"Maybe that was why she was sent to the Academy; to let her find out and then kill herself so it wouldn't be so much scandal for her family." Kiza mused crudely.

"As if there hasn't already been enough." Hinagata said with a snort.

It took all of Azula's strength to keep from screaming and crying like a child. No one had ever insulted her before and now that all this was being blown into her face, it hurt. Her stomach felt twisted and her throat was clogging up.

"What's the matter? You weren't mute a moment ago." Amaeru said in a feigned tone of concern; like she was talking to a baby.

"Whatever she is; a bastard, a mute, a little urchin sent into our rooms, she'll just have to find someplace else to go." Kiza declared and with great strength for such a thin girl, grabbed Azula by her upper arm and nearly threw her across the room.

Azula landed in a large pile of smelly laundry and the 3 girls laughed at the site.

"Good throw; has Akira-sensei been teaching you much more than just common self-defense?" Hinagata inquired.

Kiza flashed the two a toothy and white smile.

"It's hereditary; all in the arms." She said; pulling up her sleeve and lightly flexing her bicep muscle.

"That not very ladylike." Azula shot back.

"Oh? And what do _you_ know about being a lady?" Amaeru asked with a flip of her hair; exposing her white neck

. "That a lady is supposed to be modest." Azula said calmly.

The three burst out laughing.

"Conservative? Don't make me laugh; being modest will give you nothing. Men like women who are free and have that wild side to them. Chastity is _such_ an overrated issue." Kiza said between howls of fitful snickering.

"And besides; only the lowest of the low women are called whores and sneered at. But I doubt a child like _you_ would know the difference." Hinagata said 'child' in a high-pitched and sarcastic voice just to torment her some more.

"Find yourself a nice place on that floor; until we graduate, that's your sleeping area." Amaeru told her and the three girls sat on the middle bed and started talking to each other as if they hadn't done anything besides just come into their rooms and start to gossip.

* * *

"Hey, Mai!" Ty Lee exclaimed as she opened the door to her temporary suite.

Mai decided to get her mind off of what Kokoro and Aneue were talking about by visiting Ty Lee in her temporary suite. After a few lost turns and then finally asking for some directions from another teacher, she located Ty Lee's room and knocked on the door.

"How are you?" she replied politely to her perky friend and Ty Lee opened the door to let her in.

Mai stepped out of her school-issued slippers and walked into the room.

First of all, it was a little bigger than her dorm room and Ty Lee had it all to herself. The same candle-and-mirror chandelier hung overhead and there were lots of candles, oil lamps, and other things stacked around the room. There was a desk, a set of drawers that held a vanity table on top of it, and a large bed that looked very comfortable and inviting. To Ty Lee's left, there was a door that led to one of the ball-and-pole structures that led up to the observatory at the top. There was another door on Ty Lee's right and it led to her own bathroom!

All other girls had to exit the halls at night and walk a distance to use the bathroom, lucky her.

Looking more inside, Mai saw that there were some gift wrappings.

"Sorry about the mess; when I came in, there were lots of these presents for some reason." Ty Lee explained sheepishly, and then pushed a small tray filled with treats towards Mai.

"Would you like some? They were here when I came in." she said to her best friend.

Azula was too mean for her tastes, but there was something about her that kept them close and the same went for Mai.

Mai took a small slice of nectarine drizzled lightly with chocolate and took a bite. Surprisingly, it melted in her mouth.

"Who sent you all of these things?" Mai suddenly asked; looking around the room.

Ty Lee flopped on her bed and hugged a pillow to her chest.

"I honestly don't know; no one in the academy would tell me either." Ty Lee simply replied.

Mai shrugged, and then sat down with her on the bed.

"So who are your new roommates?" Ty Lee asked.

"They're really nice, but they were saying something about—." Mai suddenly checked herself; the last thing she wanted was for Ty Lee to find out about Iroke and what REALLY happened during the first moments of their interaction.

"Eh?" her friend asked.

"—I bet it's just gossip. They were helping me get organized and then they started teaching me a bit of my lessons in advance." Mai finished.

"Lucky. I would like to meet them sometime." Ty Lee sighed, and then flopped onto her back again.

Suddenly, the door was nearly pulled off of its hinges and Azula stomped through. She looked around the room and her scowl deepened.

"Switch rooms with me." she demanded the instant she and Ty Lee were close enough.

"I'm sorry, Azula—." Ty Lee began.

"You're sorry, nothing! My new roommates are bitches! They were treating me like I was their inferior pet!" she cursed. She had heard that word, bitch, many times during her eavedropping sessions on nobility, but neither she nor her friends actually knew what the word meant.

"Azula, it's not ladylike to swear in the presence of a female. Or for a female to swear at all." Mai put in. They knew from bribing a girl of lower nobility to say that word in front of her mother that the word wasn't 'ladylike'.

"What's 'ladylike' to anyone, sheep-eyes?" Azula spat; knowing too well that she'd insulted Mai.

"Just because your roommates are bad doesn't mean you have to take it out on us!" Mai fired back.

"Guys, let's not fight…" Ty Lee said uneasily.

"You don't have roommates at all and YOU have roommates who are nice! Yes, I overheard your conversations about your roommates, Mai, so shut the fuck up!" Azula was using unfamiliar words again.

The older girls sighed.

Despite what others believed, Mai and Ty Lee were actually a year older than Azula. Well, nearly a year. Mai was born on the twenty-ninth day of the fourth month and Ty Lee was born on the eighteenth day of ninth month while Azula was born on the third day of the seventh month the year after them.

"They cannot be so bad." Mai insisted with a shrug; her roommates were nice to her as her first impression of them.

"Go to my dormitory and find out EXACTLY how bad they are! D'you know what they called me? They called me a bastard child!" Azula shrieked. Despite their youth, the girls did understan the meaning and connotations of a 'bastard child'.

Mai and Ty Lee glanced at each other; both had heard the story many times and, despite it all, it still could have been the truth.

"You two should get back to your dorms; dinner is approaching and there is a special uniform for that." Ty Lee suggested and watched as Mai left with a shrug and Azula glared back around the room once before grudgingly leaving as well.

* * *

At dinner, Mai had saved a seat for Ty Lee at the table where she, Aneue, Kokoro, and Jinai were sitting.

Since there were only 15 girls to a table and their table was filled with 10 other girls from other dorms, Azula had to find a seat somewhere else.

All of the tables were filled up except for the ones sat in by disabled girls, girls who were supposed to have diseases, girls who were total losers beyond repair, and girls who were so aloof save for themselves and each other that others didn't even bother to sit with them; but it was not as if those girls would allow the other girls to sit with them anyway.

"There's plenty of room over here." Hinagata's voice rang out sweetly and Azula turned.

There were 14 other girls already sitting in a seat and one left. Kiza smiled sweetly, she was on the left of the seat, and Hinagata was on the right.

It was either sit with them or the girl who was rumored to have snuck to the boys' academy one night during a rest day, and Azula swallowed her pride and sat in the last chair of that table.

"I wonder what it is tonight." Amaeru said.

"Probably more seafood." Kiza answered with a disgusted sigh.

Girls came out from the kitchens, each carrying a covered dish in each of their hands, and began to place the plates in front of the students.

When the students lifted the trays away, on the dish was a small bowl of soft white rice, a little dish of luo-buo, a kind of flavor additive made by slicing radishes into French-fry like strips and then soaking them in a jar with a bunch of other vegetables and spices for a certain time, noodle-sliced vegetables put on one side of the main dish, and a portioned slice of fried and seasoned smoked salmon.

At the center of each table were 15 metal-fashioned goblets and a pitcher holding cool drinking water; it was inadmissible for a woman to drink spirits unless invited to or required to.

Ty Lee and Mai began to lightly take food to their mouths, having filled up on sweets and fruits earlier, while Azula wanted to stab her piece of salmon over and over and over again because it reminded her of the girls she was now forced to sit with; orange and covered with little pieces of whatever those spices and things were.

With restraint, she cut a piece off of the edge of her salmon and was about to pop it into her mouth when she noticed the other girls at her table staring at her.

"You're eating the salmon?" one asked.

"We just leave it for the other girls; it's too disgusting for girls like us to eat anyway." Another one said; putting a huge emphasis on the word 'us'.

Azula stared for a moment and then pushed the dish away from her.

Kiza and her little posse looked at the younger girl.

"Does she honestly think she can win our approvals that way?" Hinagata asked with a smirk.

"She can die trying; the air in our rooms would be much cleaner then." Kiza said; shrugging and flicking a strand of her hair over her shoulder.

* * *

After dinner, small cakes filled and decorated with fruits were served and Azula tried not to shove the whole cake down her throat, but she was honestly starving; she'd eaten nothing except for a bit of jou, or rice stewed in water, but that was in the early morning before she'd arrived at the academy.

She looked at the other table to see Mai and Ty Lee playing a game with their cakes with the other girls of the table.

It wasn't fair; how come those two had always gotten everything?

Azula was royalty and she should've had everything and Mai and Ty Lee should have envied her; not the other way around.

"Konbanwa, girls." A voice rang out from the end of the hall.

There stood a sturdy yet very young-looking woman. She was dressed in a black robe pulled low, resting on the tip of her shoulder, which was decorated with designs of purple and red flowers twining with white stems. She also wore a under shirt sans the fabric on her sleeves and shoulders and it was pulled tightly across her chest. She wore no makeup, as far as Mai and Ty Lee could see, and her hair hung down with a small topknot at the tip of her skull.

The one thing all 3 girls noticed was that of her chest; voluptuous didn't even begin to describe it and with the fabric of her under shirt pulled tightly across her breasts, it was probably tied in the back, it pushed them upwards and they stuck out even more.

Politely, all of the academy girls stood up and bowed.

"Konbanwa, Kyonyuu-sama." They replied in tandem.

Mai and Ty Lee went along with it and Azula just didn't bow at all. Kyonyuu-sama noticed it and turned to her.

"Little one; are you new here?" she asked the short 7 year old girl.

Azula could barely even see the older woman's face; those boobs!

"I do not need to bow to you; I am Princess Azula." Azula snapped back.

Kyonyuu didn't even flinch. "

Here, all of the students are treated as equal. Off to your rooms, girls." Kyonyuu said to everyone and the girls began to file out the door to their dormitories.

"One thing you must know." Azula turned to see Kyonyuu whispering to her.

"If you want to actually live till your graduation; sources, skills and alliances are the only things you need. And trust me; I have much more than you than you think. You do not want to make me an enemy." She finished, then smiled, showing off her perfect white teeth, and left Azula in the empty room.

* * *

R'n'R, please.


	3. The first day is always the hardest

Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been busy, cut off from the internet, my beta and I were having trouble with our computers. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I do own this story plot

* * *

Lesson 2: An Academic Lady never Falters, Even if she is in the Presence of a 'Suspicious Being'

* * *

_Curfew_  


**Ty Lee**

'_This bed feels really comfortable.'_ Ty Lee thought as she pulled the silk sheets up to her shoulders and closed her eyes.

Soon, she drifted off to sleep. When the moon was high in the sky and there was silence throughout the academy, two people went up the hallway and to Ty Lee's door.

"This is the room?" a voice whispered quietly from outside the door.

"Yes. Here is the spare key." Another voice replied.

The click of a lock was heard and the door silently opened.

A dark figure came through the door and stood next to the bed.

It stood there for a time; taking in Ty Lee's appearance.

She'd taken out her braid and brushed her hair with the 'one thousand strokes before bedtime' tradition her mother had taught her and had washed her face, so she didn't look sloppy.

The shadow made by the window with the open drapes reached its hand out; the shadow's touch barely grazing Ty Lee's face.

"Not bad." The person said.

Not bad at all.

**Azula**

'_I will strangle those girls.'_ Azula thought as she gripped her 'blanket' tighter.

She was now sleeping in a pile of dirty laundry, and sweat still reeked from them, for Agni's sake!

Those girls pushed her down and laughed and then turned and got ready for bed, and then took no notice of her as they put out all of the lights!

_'I will personally mutilate them.' _

**Mai**

She couldn't sleep.

Mai just couldn't sleep.

She tossed and turned relentlessly on her bottom bunk, the one perpendicular to the wall with the giant window.

She needed to sleep, though; tomorrow was the first day of classes and she'd looked over her schedule and thanked Agni that Iroke was in her last class.

If she saw him first thing in the morning, things might not boil over so well.

She couldn't honestly imagine what might happened if their confrontation was so…early after their first impressions. Maybe he would be too sleep-dazed to recognize her? Maybe he would recognize her and then call her out? What if he—?

Mai shook her head vigorously and turned in her bunk.

With the steady sound of Jinai's breathing, she slowly fell asleep.

* * *

_Wake-Up Call  
_

**Ty Lee **

Someone was running down the hallway ringing a lot of bells.

Ty Lee woke up to the sound and peeked out her door to see some servant girl running around literally covered in bells which jingled and rung with every movement she made.

Biting back her laughter, Ty Lee guessed that it was the wake-up signal.

But still, why couldn't the academy have used a gong or something else?

At least that didn't cause too much ruckus like those bells did.

Closing the door, she began to dress in her new 'uniform'.

It was only a vertically zigzag black-and-white striped yukata, socks, and platform sandals anyway, and it was mandatory that a girl pins her hair or at least holds it up in some kind of style.

Ty Lee chose to keep her braid rather than put it up in a bun like Mai did.

It was somewhat freakish, but if they wore their hair alike, then they'd be like second shadows of each other.

Speaking of shadows, she could have sworn that someone was in her room last night.

It was really creepy and, she was thankful of the concealing silk sheets, she was literally trembling and on the verge of whimpering but she tried to keep quiet. It was the same routine with her father; feign sleep, be still, and he wouldn't try anything…for that night. Then, the shadow just left.

Chills cascaded down her spine at the possibilities of who the stranger could have been.

Another set of bell-ringing exorcized her thoughts and she slipped on the last of her uniform, took the things she needed for her classes, and ran down the hall to meet up with Mai.

**Azula **

Azula's morning was not pleasant.

In fact, she herself was very in a very unpleasant mood; not pleasant at all.

Before the sun rose, one of those girls started screaming in her ear and someone threw cold saltwater on her! Then, when she finally got up, her 'uniform' (what she thought was a tacky and bland item which looked better on servants) was shoved in her face and she had to get dressed.

After that, Kiza, Hinagata, and Amaeru enjoyed laughing at all of her flaws. That she was too chubby, that her hair bangs looked ridiculous, that her cheeks overtook the rest of her facial features, she was too clumsy, that she couldn't be a princess; she looked too much like an unhealthy kuwa!

"And you know what happens to unwanted and unhealthy kuwa." Kiza snickered.

"Oh, wait; you honestly don't. How can someone so dumbly naïve like you actually know that?" Amaeru realized and shared a laugh with Hinagata in a language Azula did not comprehend.

After that, she was shoved out of the dormitory.

They didn't even give her a key.

Her first morning with her new roommates; definitely not pleasant.

**Mai **

Someone was whispering something.

"Iroke…what if…Mai…relax…ruin…hear?" and something else, but her brain was too sleep-deprived and tired to listen in on the rest.

Opening her eyes, Mai saw Aneue, Jinai, and Kokoro whispering frantically again.

What _were_ they talking about? And why did her name and Iroke's always pop up together?

Unable to stifle the pressure in her throat, Mai opened her mouth and let out a yawn.

The three girls turned, a bit surprised and worried (probably wondering if she'd heard everything), but relaxed and asked if she had a nice sleep.

The three girls then gave her the robes and material she needed for the first day after she told them her schedule, and then Ty Lee came in.

"Good morning, Mai." Ty Lee said perkily when Kokoro opened the door.

"Good morning, Ty Lee. These are my roommates; Aneue, Jinai, and Kokoro." Mai introduced.

"Nice to meet you." Ty Lee said politely.

"Let us all go down to the hall for breakfast." Jinai suggested after she, Aneue, and Kokoro were dressed.

Since they were older and therefore had the seniority advantage, they were dressed in more vividly designed robes as a show of their 'elderly' status in the academy.

* * *

_Breakfast _

When they got to the great hall, the 5 girls saw that Azula was sitting alone, looking disheveled, and very sleepy.

They accompanied her at her table.

Breakfast came; tofu soup, fried bread, and honey-milk, and after consuming their meal, Mai, Azula and Ty Lee were talking about the notes they'd received earlier in the morning.

There was a 'welcoming' letter and their schedules.

* * *

_From the Desk of the Academy Council _

_Dear Student, _

_On behalf of the Royal Academy, we would like to welcome you to our school. We hope that you will find your academic stay pleasant. _

_But do not be smug; all of your actions are recorded and a file is sent home monthly to your parents, which they will need to sign verifying that they saw the document. An Academic Lady must protect her reputation. _

_As part of the Academic procedures, we expect you to follow the schedule attached and also to obey all of the rules and traditions, both of the academy and of etiquette, listed in the document also attached. Disobeying the rules will have dire consequences, we assure you and it is best that you do not break them in the first place. _

_We hope that you will respect our rules as we will respect you. _

_Sincerely, _

_The Royal Academy Council_

Underneath, there were just a bunch of signatures indicating who some person was and their job.

_Schedule to be followed from Monday to Friday_

_6:30-7:00, wake up and get to breakfast_

_7:00-8:30, first class_

_8:45-10:15, second class_

_10:30-12:00, third class_

_12:00-1:00, lunch and leisure hour_

_1:00-2:30: fourth class_

_2:45-4:15, fifth class_

_4:30-6:00, sixth class_

_6:00-7:00, free time (at this time, a student can revisit teachers to ask questions, start on homework, go to the library, et cetera)_

_7:00-7:45, dinner_

_7:45-8:00, tea time_

_8:00-9:30, free time or to start on nightly process (shower-taking, hygiene, bathroom, et cetera)_

_10:00, all lights out and every room will be locked_

_Saturdays will be half-days for Academics and on Sundays classes starting at noon, after lunch, and are half-days also_

_**The Fire Nation Royal Academy Rules, Etiquette, and Traditions**_

_**Rules**_

**One's schedule is always to be obeyed**

**Never be late to class, except for a few exceptions**

**There is to be no jests such as fighting anywhere**

**There is no tolerance for poor work in classes**

**Always be prepared for classes**

**Never stay out beyond curfew, when the gates of the FNRA close**

**There is to be no alterations to your uniform; not even spilling ink on it **

**You must perform the chores and tasks expected of you**

**There is to be no cheating or 'help' from senior students**

**Anyone caught after curfew, with the exception of paying a small nighttime visit to the restroom, will have a demerit on their name and be sent to the headmistress's office**

**Anyone behaving inappropriately will be sent to the headmistress**

**There is to be no occasion where one can think it is alright to act superiorly**

**Anyone found with illegal substances in the academy shall be sent before the council**

**Always respect those of your seniority**

**Unless on the special occasions listed in 'traditions', no one is to go further than 5 miles from the Academy at any time**

**Never disobey the rules set out by your teachers or by the academy**

_**Etiquette**_

**An Academic Lady must never appear sloppy**

**An Academic Lady must never be late for anything**

**An Academic Lady never falters around others, no matter what**

**An Academic Lady speaks only when spoken to**

**An Academic Lady is never bawdy**

**An Academic Lady never drinks spirits unless invited or required to**

**An Academic Lady must maintain good posture**

**An Academic Lady must control their carnal peccadilloes of gluttony, lust, envy, sloth, wrath, vanity, and avarice**

**An Academic Lady is proud and confident of herself**

**An Academic Lady is always modest**

**An Academic Lady is a chaste and quiet woman**

**An Academic Lady dare not disobey any rules set by mentors or people of seniority **

**An Academic Lady never participates in lewd acts, such as fighting**

**An Academic Lady must always pay attention in class**

**An Academic Lady must be kind to all around them, even if they are complete strangers**

**An Academic Lady is always level, even in the most pressured and embarrassing situations**

**An Academic Lady must never let her emotions betray her**

**An Academic Lady follows her heart…when the timing is correct**

**An Academic Lady must always look good; physically and personally**

**An Academic Lady does not the chaser, she is the chased**

**An Academic Lady is graceful under pressure**

**An Academic Lady is elegant; just like her aristocratic upbringing has expected her to be**

**An Academic Lady never shames her parents**

**An Academic Lady is educated in many ways instead of only one**

**An Academic Lady must be entertaining and such**

**An Academic Lady does not get embarrassed, to the contrary; she turns an awkward moment into laughs**

**An Academic Lady, when entertaining a group, is talkative yet quiet to let others speak**

**An Academic Lady is always polite**

**An Academic Lady is always honest…but only to the point of beguiling**

**An Academic Lady must never be easily cajoled**

**An Academic Lady must speak when there is a silence directed towards her**

**An Academic Lady should endure what she must with grace**

**An Academic Lady is always obedient, in control of herself, and a role model woman**

The Etiquette rulebook actually went on longer, but Ty Lee, Mai and Azula didn't bother to read all of it; they were sure that they could pull it out later and read it.

Turning another page, the three began to read the traditions.

_**Traditions**_

**Fifteenth day of the Eighth Month: A welcoming party for the new students**

**Fourth Day of the Ninth Month: A Day of Rest and Atonement**

**Last day of the Ninth Month/First Day of the Tenth Month: the Fête de l'autome, the Fall Festival**

**Last day of the Tenth Month: la jour du Toussaint, a Masquerade with the Royal Academy for Boys**

**The last Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month: A Day of Atonement and counting one's blessings**

**The last Twelve days in the Twelfth Month: Kurisumasu, in which the twelve days will involve socials with the Royal Academy for Boys and optional, but limited, visits to home**

**The First day of the First Month: The New Years Festival**

**The Fourteenth day of the Second Month: Red Day, in where ladies may make or purchase presents and present them to boys of the Boys Academy they met or another desired suitor**

**The Fourteenth day of the Third Month: White day, the reversed of Red Day**

**The Twenty First day of the Second Month: Mardi Gras, a day to indulge in our carnal sins if only for the day, with a social ball with the Boys Royal Academy later the following night**

**The Twenty Second day of the Second Month to the Ninth Day of the Fourth Month: Lent, the forty day period after Mardi Gras in which ladies must give up a cause of their carnal sin of gluttony and attendance of morning, afternoon, and evening Mass is mandatory. **

**The Ninth day of the Fourth Month: the Fête de Haru, the Spring Festival; a ball with the Boys Royal Academy**

**Twenty-Ninth day of the Fourth Month: Teacher Day, in which ladies can optionally give their teachers tokens of appreciation**

**The Eighteenth day of the Fifth Month: May Day, a day of socializing and events at the middle of the island along with the Royal Academy for Boys**

**The Last Week of the Fifth Month: Exams and performances for all students**

**The First day of the Sixth Month: Graduation for the seventh-year students**

**The Nineteenth day of the Sixth Month: The Summer Festival, another rendezvous with the students in the Royal Academy for Boys**

**The Eight day of the Seventh Month: A holiday honoring the birth of our country**

**The Twenty-Ninth of the Seventh Month to the Third day of the Eighth Month: All returning students come back to the Academy and help prepare the academy for the new girls**

It was too bad that they had missed the Welcome Party; Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula had come a few days after the Fifteenth of the Eighth Month so there was nothing to look forward to until the Fête de l'autome

The three girls each looked at their schedules.

**Mai, First Year:**

_First class: Literature_

_Second class: Etiquette (The Arts)_

_Third class: Math_

_Fourth class: History_

_Fifth class: Weaponry_

_Sixth class: Dance_

**Ty Lee, First Year:**

_First class: Math_

_Second class: Literature_

_Third class: Etiquette (The Arts)_

_Fourth class: History_

_Fifth class: Acrobatics_

_Sixth class: Dance_

**Azula, First Year:**

_First class: Dance_

_Second class: Math_

_Third class: History_

_Fourth class: Literature_

_Fifth class: Firebending_

_Sixth class: Etiquette (The Arts)_

* * *

"Look, Mai. I have dance and history class with you." Ty Lee pointed out as they shared schedules. 

"I have nothing with either of you." Azula pointed out.

Inwardly, Mai and Ty Lee sighed with relief. Azula wasn't the best friend in the world and her company wasn't always positive; you could say that she was a bit of a control freak. Without her, both could probably breathe easier and make new friends without Azula scaring them away.

A loud gong resounded through the Great Hall. Aneue and her friends volunteered to take Mai and Ty Lee to their first classes of First Year Literature and Math; saying that it was on their way to their own classes, but could not help Azula.

Her class was all the way on the opposite side of the building.

Dashing hurriedly amongst the crowd, the three girls separated and could do nothing but hope that their first day wouldn't be a complete hell.

* * *

_First Class_

**Mai: Literature  
**

"Welcome."

Apparently, Molady was teaching the Literature class.

Ty Lee had told Mai about her the night before, but she'd never expected the mole to be…that huge. And noticeable.

"Th-thank you." Mai stuttered; trying hard not to stare at the mole.

"There is a seat besides Caro." Molady said; pointing to a stout girl at least a year Mai's junior.

Mai took a seat and Caro turned and smiled shyly. Molady passed out assigned books, told the girls to take out their textbooks, and began the lesson.

For the rest of the class, Mai tried to focus on the lesson itself but that mole on her nose was making it difficult.

Whenever Molady walked, there seemed to be a spring in her step and that made the mole jiggle. A lot. It was as if it was dancing.

All Mai heard before the gong was sounded was Molady yelling out the assignment one last time.

"Read the first chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and be prepared to discuss it tomorrow!"

**Ty Lee: Mathematics  
**

Math wasn't so bad; a man from the Royal Academy for Boys had come here temporarily, while the normal lady teacher went to the Boys' Academy as part of a gender-mixing program the Academic Council had agreed on.

They were studying the term of 'borrowing when in subtraction.'

Most girls of high standings were educated beforehand, so when the girls came to the academy, most of them came when they were six to eight, they should have already known how to do basic addition, subtraction, read and write well, speak the Fire Nation languages, know manners and etiquette, know a big of history, and should be able to dance; or at least know the basic box step.

Ty Lee turned to a page in her 'book', which was mainly pages with holes on the left side and the holes were slipped through opening and closing metal rings, and began to take notes.

Calligraphy was supposedly a work of art and they taught that in art class in Year 3, so in lieu of writing with ink and brushes, there were quills and also a new type of writing material called a 'pen'.

The class mainly took notes and the teacher called on students once in a while to do some problems on the blackboard.

Math class was nearing to a close when the teacher called Ty Lee up to do an Order of Operations problem.

Ty Lee answered 3, the correct answer, just as the gongs rang again.

Time for Literature class.

**Azula: Dance  
**

'_At least the teacher isn't butt-ugly.'_ Was Azula's first impression of Iroke; and it was actually a male.

Looking around, she saw that most of the other first years weren't paying as much attention to his 'welcome to dance class' speech as they were to him.

"…please form rows of fifteen; I would like to see how much dancing you already know and will pull those who are stumbling aside." Iroke instructed.

Dance was practically the only class in the academy which did not group girls by year or experience; practically by random, actually.

It was a huge catfight to determine who would stand in the front rows and there was almost a 4-way all-out brawl for the center spot in the first row, but after the chaos died down and some girls continued to sulk because they were in the middle, the rows were finally formed. Iroke motioned for the person turning the handle on a machine called the Victrola, which was like a record-player except that there was a hand crank, to start playing.

Immediately, the music for a basic waltz began.

Everyone danced in a different way; the older students mainly had more experience, while the younger ones could only dance what they were taught with a primary governess. T

here were 5 basic moves used throughout the dance: the box step _(step back with one's right foot, step to the side with one's left, join one's feet together and stop. Step forward with one's left foot, step to the side with one's right, join one's feet together and stop)_, traveling _(do the first half of the box step, and then step back with one's left foot, step to the side with one's right, join together one's feet, and stop. Continue repeating until it is time for the female to step forward)_, pirouette turns _(turn in a half or complete circle on the balls of one's left or right foot; lamentable if done on the heel)_, the jétèe _(jump upwards while spreading your legs as far apart as one can in midair)_, and half-turns _(put all of one's weight on the balls of the left foot, turn halfway around, repeat with the right foot, and then do the inverse)_.

The more experienced dancers tried more advanced moves such as the grande jétèe.

Azula, stuck in the dead center of seventy-five girls in total, barely did a thing.

Not only did she never honestly take an interest in dancing in her early life, she barely knew a thing.

As an observer, she saw many girls mess up on purpose as an attempt to catch Iroke's attention.

It was honestly laughable, until she got pulled out herself.

Iroke led her to the side and bent down to talk to her.

"Why do you not dance?" he asked her.

"I do not need to learn how to dance." Azula replied sharply.

Iroke only smiled.

"If you are so sure, then. Go out to the attendant's office and get a transfer if you wish." He said and got up without another word.

Some girls stared at her; why was she standing in a corner? Was she in trouble?

Despite that she had now avoided a class time to humiliate herself, Azula felt uneasy; had Iroke just now kicked her out?

* * *

_Second Class_

**Mai: Etiquette (The Arts)  
**

Etiquette was taught by a woman named Rimé.

Rimé, who looked to be in her thirties or so, was a very strict and cold person; many girls called her a witch behind her back.

She was very thin; the kimono she wore barely showed any curves, and always wore white face paint with the skin around her eyes sharply painted blood red and her eyebrows drawn at such an intimidating and deep slant that it always looked like she was mad. Her eyes, colored sharp bullion, rarely showed anything save for spite and displeasure at a mistake.

On the first day, the girls were to learn how to play a basic flute.

Throughout the lesson, she had snapped at many of the girls and rounded off on many of them.

"You! Does your flute smell bad? Then why are you wrinkling your nose like that?"

"Are you fingers stone? Move them!"

"Have you eaten lemons lately? Then why are your notes so sour!"

"You are off-tune, you stupid Mao!"

She even struck a few girls with the bamboo stick she held in her hand that day.

For such a bony woman, she seemed to have a surprising amount of strength.

Suffice to say, Mai was very grateful when the lesson was over.

**Ty Lee: Literature  
**

'_Don'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemole…" _Ty Lee repeated the mantra in her head for the past hour or so.

She'd sat in the way back, kept her sight on her notes, and did not raise her hand to answer any of Molady's questions.

"Ty Lee? How about you?" Molady's voice suddenly rang out.

She'd forgotten her mantra for a moment and looked; there was the frightening MOLE MOUND!

"M-M-M-M-M-M-M-Mole." She automatically said when making eye contact with that mole.

Molady sighed.

"I am aware that I have a large mole on my nose." She said.

"Just let it all out; everyone will be much more comfortable after that." Molady told her.

Ty Lee jumped up on her chair.

"MOLE! MOLE MOUND! WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT THERE'S A GINORMOUS MOLE MOUND JUST STARING AT ME IN THE FACE! IT'S SO BIG THAT IT COULD PRACTICALLY BE CONSIDERED A PERSON! YOUR NAME EVEN CONTAINS A MOLE! MOLADY! WHO NAMES THEIR CHILD MOLADY? YOU NEED TO BURN THAT THING OFF AND MAKE SHISH-KA-MOLE WITH IT!"

By the time she was finished, Ty Lee was gasping for breath.

"Better?" Molady asked; unfeigned.

"Yes, thank you." Ty Lee said politely as she sank back into her chair.

"Anyone else?" Molady asked.

At once, the other seventy-four students jumped up and started shouting similar things and it took until one minute before the gong rang for them all to calm down.

"Your assignment is to read the first chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and be ready to discuss it tomorrow." Molady called as the students left.

**Azula: Mathematics  
**

Iroke was bad enough, but now the math teacher was picking on her because she was the only person sitting in the front row!

It wasn't her choice.

Unluckily, Kiza, Hinagata, and Amaeru were also in her math class and they'd told the other students to fill up the seats from the back downwards so that Azula, as they knew, would have to sit in the front row and she would be picked on by Reikou-sensei.

"I expected better from the princess of the Fire Nation." He clucked disapprovingly.

Reikou-sensei, though not as young-looking as Iroke, was about the same age as him, at least that was what they both said.

While Azula was being tormented by the teacher, the other girls near the back began to gossip.

The topic was mainly why Reikou-sensei didn't look as young as Iroke.

"It's because Iroke is more laid-back and takes time off to enjoy the pleasure of life. Think about it; it is like Iroh and Ozai. Iroh always took time to relax and take his pleasure with his wife while Ozai had a humongous bamboo stalk up his ass. Even if Ozai looks taller now, Iroh still preserved his age longer than his younger brother."

Azula caught that sentence, but not many of the others as Reikou-sensei thought it was time to pick on the students in the back instead.

Thank Agni.

* * *

_Third Class_

**Mai: Mathematics  
**

Math wasn't so bad for Mai; she was taking the class with Kokoro and Jinai and sat between them.

About halfway throughout the lesson, Kokoro and Jinai began to whisper to her.

"Did you know that he and Iroke are said to be the same age?" Jinai whispered with a giggle to Mai.

Mai's eyes shifted to Reikou-sensei; he looked to old to be about Iroke's age!

He had salt-and-pepper like hair which was rarely tamed, twig-like mustaches between his upper lip and nose, and looked to be balding. And not to mention that he had many what-looked-like liver spots on his face and his skin was saggy around the neck like a turtle's, and his teeth! They were crooked, yellow, and Mai would bet a bag of gold coins that his breath smelled disgusting.

"That's impossible." Mai whispered back.

"Iroke is too…" her voice trailed off upon realizing what she had intended to say.

Jinai and Kokoro giggled.

"Sexy?"

"Good-looking?"

"Toned?"

"Kind?"

"Graceful?"

"Fabulous?"

"Perfect?"

"Well-endowed?"

"Kokoro!" Jinai nearly shouted; her face also red from giggling as well. Luckily, Reikou-sensei seemed to pay them no heed.

This conversation was leading in a way that was too uncomfortable for Mai's liking, so she tried to pay more attention to Reikou-sensei.

But that niggling voice in the back of her head screamed for her to turn around and ask Kokoro how she knew that Iroke was well-endowed…if she wasn't just making that up.

**Ty Lee: Etiquette (The Arts)  
**

Rimé didn't like 'girls like her', so she told Ty Lee.

But really; she couldn't understand why Rimé chose to hate her as soon as she walked in the door.

As they were playing their flutes, Rimé would always yell at Ty Lee for doing something, even if it was as little a thing as 'holding her flute at the wrong angle', and make her class miserable; no one would stand up for her in fear of angering Rimé.

Ty Lee thanked Agni when the gong rang at the end of class, signifying lunch.

**Azula: History  
**

History was not boring in Azula's opinion, but with this weak-constituted woman teaching it; the subject suddenly seemed repulsive to her.

Kasuka-sensei taught the class, and she would squeal at the mention of even someone slapping one another on the back!

She would always stutter and sometimes her visage would become such a tint of green or white that she had to leave the room.

For most of the class, the girls only copied notes from their textbooks and then gossiped for the remainder of the class period.

Once of twice, Azula heard her name being mentioned; often with a tone of malice.

She felt insulted and angry; shouldn't those girls be bowing at her feet?

What was it that made her become 'just another girl' at this academy, and, from the way Hinagata, Kiza, and Amaeru treated her, almost inhuman?

So far, her first day at the academy was met by scorns and sneers from many of the girls who said that she was just a spoiled bastard and her weak and impotent father only kept her because she showed that she was a female; further proving that she was not truly part of the Fire Nation Royal Family.

The teachers always expected her to answer some advanced questions, like she was actually a smart aleck or something, and would scold her when she answered something incorrectly or not reply at all.

When she did get the answer right, the teachers would just exaggerate over and over her so-called intelligence and tell their students to be more like her; earning more glares from her classmates.

_'At least Lunch will be smoother.'_ She thought when she heard the gong ring.

* * *

_Lunch: The Great Hall  
_

Lunch, at least, was not more seafood.

There was a very well-done yet juicy slice of char-broiled lamb cooked in a delicious sauce, three rectangular slices of potato-bake (a Fire Nation specialty which involved first boiling and mashing the potatoes and then baking them until they were crispy and often one could add many kinds of other things to it such as vegetables, cheese, or meats), a small cup of gravy and other toppings for the potato bake, vegetables cut into unique shapes, and two slices of hot and crusty bread.

Of course, the goblets and pitcher for water were set out in the middle of the tables.

As fruit and sweet crème was being passed out, the door to the room opened to reveal Iroke-sensei and Reikou-sensei.

Iroke wore a red silk top that was ornately stitched with richly-colored thread (how he had gotten to purchase such a top on a teacher's salary, even if he taught at an elite upper-class academy filled with rich heiresses who were fawning over him, was a mystery for many girls), flowing pants, traditional booties that were worn by females and males alike for dancing, and silver-wire rimmed bifocals and was laughing at something Reikou said, but Reikou still looked utterly sulky and unsmiling.

At once, Mai felt a blush of embarrassment cross her face.

Last night, she remembered that she had left her diary in the carriage, but when she went to where the carriage master and his horses were staying for the night, he told her that there was nothing in the carriage.

Iroke must have had her diary; and she even wrote the most embarrassing things in there too!

Ty Lee closely observed her friend, Azula was stuck sitting at another table again, and her glance darted to Iroke.

Maybe this was why Mai was delayed; the man had met up with her and Mai, probably unused to such attentions, might have done something ridiculous in front of him and is now too embarrassed to say what it was.

Azula only felt a surge of anger and unwanted remembrance at what had happened between her and both of the teachers when in their classes. J

ust as the two teachers were about to exit through another door, an older girl ran up to the two.

"Ano…Iroke-sensei; these are for you." She half-murmured, half stammered; holding up a carved wooden box with a bow tied from a silk ribbon at the top.

Iroke did not even look a bit surprised. He began to untie the bow with a smooth and experienced motion and lifted the top off of the box.

"I thank you graciously, Atsu-kun; I am fond of chocolate lace." He said, but to Mai, his voice seemed formal; detached of almost all personal emotions, but Atsu did not seem to notice it.

Iroke took a small piece of it out and popped it into his mouth.

He leaned forward; his face a respective length from Atsu's face.

"Thank you again…" He said in that velvet-smooth voice; suddenly, Atsu looked as if she would faint. Iroke straightened his posture once more.

"…but I regret that I cannot indulge in such gluttonous treats; no matter how much I wish to. It is a personal day of mourning for myself and I feel that it would be an insult for me to have such joy in sweets." His tone had a sting of iciness to it and Iroke looked from himself to his companion.

"But Reikou-sensei does have a sweet tooth." He added; turning and flashing his colleague a brilliant smile.

"I will see you in fifth class." He told the girl; placing an air kiss on Atsu's cheek and walking off.

For a second, Mai could have sworn he looked her way, but she brushed it off; she was probably only familiar to him because he had her diary. Didn't he have her diary? She would have him for the last class of the day and then she could spend part of her free-time trying to convince him to give it back to her.

Atsu now looked very embarrassed; only holding the box before Reikou-sensei with her head down and Ty Lee could tell that she was suppressing tears and disappointment.

Reikou-sensei looked at the box for a moment, and then took it from her.

"I will give it to Iroke." He said in a stiff manner and then walked off.

When the gong rang again, students filed out for their next class; full of new gossip and things to talk about.

* * *

_Fourth Class_

**Ty Lee and Mai: History  
**

Kasuka wasn't so bad of a teacher; she probably just would have been better off teaching etiquette in lieu of the bloody history of the world.

Mai and Ty Lee had a theory that maybe she and Rimé accidentally applied for each other's intended jobs and got them.

"A-A-and so, in the year of the Eagle, in th-th-the twenty-seventh zodiac of the Kanzo dynasty of the Fire Nation, a b-b-bloody…"

At that moment, Kasuka-sensei looked as if she had fainted. Ty Lee passed a note to Mai.

_'She and Rimé should really switch jobs, don't you think?'_ she scrawled.

_'Definitely; they would both be much happier, to the least.' _Mai replied.

When Kasuka ran out the door, she said she needed some air, the students leaned back on their chairs and began to relax and chat until the period relented.

**Azula: Literature **

She wanted to burn that mole off of Molady's nose.

Thinking the better of it, Azula unhinged her stiff fingers from the edge of the table and tried to focus on the lesson, but a so-called henchman of Amaeru was not making it easy. I

n the past hour, she had gotten many of the students to throw little wads of chewed-up paper at her; apparently, it was one point if you hit her in the back, three points if the wad landed in her hair, and five points if it slid down her neck and into her shirt.

All the while, Molady seemed blind to it; only continuing to talk about all of the 'such wonderful descriptions in the story'.

Azula was not amused.

When class let out, many other girls took last-chance shots.

And people wondered why she left a trail of spitballs from her shirt while she walked down the hallways.

* * *

_Fifth Class_

**Mai: Weaponry **

There must have been some mistake; she had not signed up for a weaponry class.

But Ijin-sensei kept repeating that she had her name, Tengtang Mai, on her attendance list.

Ijin-sensei, though it is not sure, seemed to be in her thirties. But the older academic girls have said that she told some students that she had taught here for many years; maybe even forty, as shown by the list of teachers carved onto plaques with each one made after every year, or more! Ijin was said to have been a very successful female warrior in the Fire Nation, but upon the request of her princess, she came here to teach fighting and weaponry to the girls.

For the first few minutes, as required, there was orientation, and then Ijin requested that the girls change into their dojos for their first lesson in basic martial arts.

Mai did not do too badly, but really; weaponry wasn't exactly what she had in mind when it came to 'exercise'.

She couldn't throw, her muscles were practically non-existent, and she was more or less weak and a bit clumsy.

After it was time to change back, every girl had a layer of sweat on them by then, Mai confronted Ijin-sensei.

"Tengtang Mai; it's such a pretty name." Ijin said; smiling down at the younger girl.

"Thank you. But I do not remember choosing this class; there must be some—." Mai began again, but Ijin pressed a finger against her lips.

"Your parents specifically ordered it. Besides, I have a feeling that you will excel in this class." She told the much younger girl.

It took Mai all of her strength not to roll her eyes; the day she would excel in weaponry was the day Iroke would confess that he was a long-lost prince.

**Ty Lee: Acrobatics**

This was her kind of sport; she had always been interested in acrobatics since she was young.

The teacher, a young woman who had once been in the circus, was very nice too. Katou-sensei, a retired performer in her late twenties, was a sensible woman who had a sweet and youthfully preserved face to match.

Whenever a girl would feel uncomfortable talking about something such as menstruation or sex, she was the one they came to for help and advice.

Her hair fell in dark ringlets around her ashy skin and dark eyes and she always wore loose clothing; mainly loose pants and a small top to match.

In lieu of lecturing the group of girls about acrobatics, she was telling many humorous stories about her days in the circus.

"And then the ringmaster shouts out the wrong thing while the fools in the act pull down his robes as a response to that!" Katou laughed; the other girls joining her.

To Ty Lee, the circus seemed more than just a place for visual amusement; it was a life of leisure, amusements, friendships, and freedom.

Such a freedom that, until now, she had never known.

**Azula: Firebending**

This was her best class; Azula obviously excelled in Firebending, so the girls there would all be green with envy before fifth hour was done.

Her teacher, Nachizumu-sensei, was a very strict lady; her hair was always stiff and coarse; a wide range of black and pure white, with a face that would have turned Medusa herself into stone.

Nearly every visible inch of her skin, which she would usually cover up in with a winter-like army uniform by Fire Nation standards, was covered in some form of a scar.

Some of the students started that if you actually got her to smile, her entire face would fall off. Another group of students say that Nachizumu-sensei hides her body and puts on a fake mask with scars on it because she had such beauty, but she did not want attention from males just because she looked good.

There were plenty of rumors, but no one honestly believed them; though it was very fun to speculate.

The minute the gong rang, signaling class had begun, she made the girls change into their dojos and stand up straight; chest out, stomachs in, chins up!

As she examined each one, she would occasionally push one or another aside for some reason.

"Too delicate. Too fat. Too short. Too ugly." She murmured; glaring down at a girl with her signature 'evil eye'.

Some of them squirmed under her critical gaze, one of them even broke down crying, but when Nachizumu got to Azula, she did not do a thing.

She had been taught pride, just tipping on the brink of arrogance, and she refused to back down to some scar-deformed lady; toughness built character.

"You have potential." Nachizumu said and then walked away without another word.

When she was done, she went back to her original spot.

"Let us start with seeing how much you know about Firebending already." Nachizumu called out.

On cue, many girls began to Firebend in a synchronizing matter.

Azula, feeling that she did not need to do such a basic move, began to show her what her private teacher had taught her.

Nachizumu slammed down her whip on Azula's back.

"All wrong, you cocky little Catin!" she barked.

The girls around her giggled; some of them scoffed at her, others just basked in her humiliation.

Azula just couldn't understand it; whenever she perfected a move that was advanced, her teachers would almost drown her with praise; why was Nachizumu-sensei yelling at her for doing better and harder moves?

By the end of class, Nachizumu had taken back her comments about her having potential and said that Azula would be nothing but a failure at Firebending in the end; dying because of her own arrogance.

* * *

_Sixth Class_

**Mai and Ty Lee: Dance **

"Welcome to dance class at the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls. My name is Iroke-sensei, and I will be your dance teacher in this academy until you graduate." Iroke began; his eyes sweeping the crowd of already-giggling girls.

Some of the older students were bold enough to send 'the eyes' to him, but he mainly ignored them.

He was searching for Tengtang Mai.

He had found her name in the diary after skimming the little book, only stopping to read about the parts about the royal family; particularly about Iroh or Zuko.

"Please form rows of five rows of fifteen; I would like to see how much dance you already know and will pull a few of who are stumbling out and correct them." He ordered.

There were many other catfights and scampers for the first row and to be on the outside, but fortunately, no one was hurt.

Ty Lee had observed Mai for the entire lapse of Iroke's speech; seeing that her friend would not look Iroke in the eye.

Was Iroke the teacher she ran into?

What was going on between those two, if anything?

She had infinite questions for Mai, but thought it was much better to keep her mouth shut.

When the girls began to form lines and rows, she and Mai stayed where they were and, somehow, they were standing exactly where the front row was.

_'Poor Mai.' _Ty Lee thought as she glanced at Iroke and knew that he had noticed them.

He was coming towards them; closer…closer…closer.

He was much taller than the seven-year old, so he kneeled down and leaned forward even more to glimpse her blushing face.

"Hello again, stranger." He half-teased; speaking in a soft, yet clear tone.

"G-Good Afternoon, sir." Mai mumbled; still looking down.

Scandalous whispers already broke out between the older girls; some sprouted from envy, others sprouted from rumors, and a few sprouted from curiosity.

"Are you a friend of Mai?" Ty Lee interjected; stepping in for her friend.

"You can say that. And you are…?" Iroke asked politely; holding out his hand.

"Akuro Ty Lee; Mai's best friend. Pleased to meet you Iroke-sensei." She said in her usual perky manner.

"Nice to meet you." Iroke said; then turned to his helper and signaled for him to start the Victrola.

It was still basic steps and Ty Lee easily knew what to do, her acrobatics training involved dancing, but Mai was needed a bit of help.

Her mother and father have always been overprotective, and somewhat strict, of her and they believed that dancing wasn't a very necessary thing to learn, as opposed to other things, for her future as a courtesan. As a result, her steps were faulty and ill-timed, she was constantly tripping over her own legs, she was always knocking into another girl or so, she grew dizzy after only one spin, and she felt even more self-conscious.

A warm hand enveloped hers and she found herself being gently pulled aside by Iroke.

"Where should I even begin?" he asked with a smile.

Her legs froze up, as did her arms, and she looked down again; stupid shyness habit.

He really did scare her a bit, maybe it was better that he told her the truth; especially after such crude rumors were being spread about them. Pushing away that thought, Iroke focused on helping Mai a bit more.

"You should take a step no bigger than one length of your head." He said; gently grasping Mai's leg from behind her knee and trying to get her to budge, but to no avail.

She must have heard some of them, judging by her stiffness.

"Come; part your legs." He said; cursing himself upon realizing the innuendo in his words.

"I am sorry you had to endure such rumors and talk about yourself and me, but please—do not be that way; I am not the man everyone thinks I am." He whispered gently; feeling her muscles slightly loosen.

Back in the group, Ty Lee and many other girls watched the two curiously; more 'hmph's of envy came from them while others speculated that the two were in love.

Others contradicted that by saying that Iroke was much older than she was; and it would be statutory for them to 'be' be together.

After he sent Mai back, he pulled out a third-year girl; telling her that she shouldn't do the double-spin so quickly if she wanted to appear graceful.

After the song was over, Iroke divided the girls by years they had trained with him and began to teach the oldest ones while the other groups taught the younger girls.

Thank Agni that Iroke did not choose her as his volunteer when he got to the first-year group; Mai shoved Ty Lee in front of her and he apparently got the message.

She just wanted to get out of the dance room, this second encounter with Iroke freaking her out even more, as soon as possible.

The gong rang and Mai was about to dash out the door when his voice called out.

"Mai; please stay for a moment. I would like to talk to you about a few matters."

**Azula: Etiquette **

"I expected better from a princess." Rimé snapped at Azula.

Princesses, in her opinion, should have been able to play a flute from when they could actually move their fingers individually and blow their breaths.

Azula, about to burn her flute, only grit her teeth and kept looking at her music sheet.

As she learned in her previous five classes, it was not good to snap back at the teacher; she could complain to her father, but he probably wouldn't do anything; he always supported the idea of his prodigy getting lessons that would make her into a 'well-rounded' princess.

Rimé did not stop, though; all throughout the lesson, she pushed Azula to the front of the class and made her show the class what a lady should NOT do when entertaining guests with music.

At last the gong rang.

As Azula dashed out of the room and to her dormitory, she remembered what, at least who, she was going back to; her three hellish roommates with the names of Amaeru, Hinagata, and Kiza.

_Terrific._

* * *

_Free Time_

**Ty Lee: Her Room **

Ty Lee sat down on her bed; feeling something prodding at the back of her thighs.

Lifting the sheets off of her bed, she saw that it was a sweet wrapped in red foil and a letter from her mother.

She tossed the candy aside and broke the seal on the letter reading it.

She could not believe her eyes.

**Azula: Her Dormitory**

Azula, now, was locked out of her room; courtesy of Kiza, Hinagata, and Amaeru.

Damn them all!

The teachers had prohibited her from going into the suite hallway, which meant that she could not visit Ty Lee, and Mai was still in the dance class, as Ty Lee told her.

Despite the situation, Azula smiled wryly.

Mai had always been the terrible dancer; Iroke would probably kick her out as well.

**Mai: Iroke's 'office' **

This was becoming a bit uncomfortable for her; he was now holding her hand as if she were a little child!

After he had beckoned her to stay, he suddenly decided that their conversation would be more 'private' in his so-called office.

"Close the door, won't you?" Iroke asked of her when they stepped into his room.

Mai shut it, but not to the point of where she would have to turn the knob in order to bolt out; he probably would have caught her if she tried to run if she had to waste a few precious seconds turning the knob and throwing the door open.

After carefully putting the door in place, she turned and looked around Iroke's chambers.

They looked similar to the ones Ty Lee had, but his were much more grandly made over; as if he were high nobility.

On a table in the lower left corner there were many boxes of sweets; obviously presents from other girls.

"Yes?" Mai demanded; already wanting to get out as soon as possible.

"You are a very peculiar girl, Tengtang Mai, and you intrigue me." Iroke began; his eyes, as Mai felt, stripping her down so he would see all of her flaws, her self-conscious thoughts, so many secrets that she held inside, and her nervousness in being around him.

"I'm…flattered?" Mai said it as more of a question than a comment; sure, probably a lot of other girls would be swooning or jumping for joy if Iroke said such words to them, but when you're creeped out by him; not so much.

He chuckled softly at that remark.

"We'll have to fix that, also. But it seems that you are not formally educated in dance." He told her.

"I'm not; my parents believe that dance isn't exactly necessary for me to…" Mai stopped; if that wasn't the worst thing to say at this time, then nothing was.

"I partially agree with your parents, but nobility should be able to dance for all of the celebrations and fêtes; especially at the academy. Since you have begun to learn dance later than many girls, I propose that you should take private lessons." Iroke said; meaning every word seriously.

It was not going to be anything except for some lessons to try and catch her up to the other girls already coming to the academy.

"Uh—." Mai replied; honestly not knowing what to say.

"I have already spoken with the headmistress about giving private lessons to undereducated students and she has agreed to it. How about you stay for a few extra minutes, say fifteen or twenty, every day after your scheduled dance class and also meet me on Saturdays after your half days are over?" he proposed.

"That is fine." Mai replied; turning so she could see the door.

"Tomorrow, then; you may go back." He told her as he sat on his bed and began to remove his shoes.

Instead of her original intention, Mai did not bolt out of the room; she only walked slowly and soon found herself wandering around the academy.

By the time she had found her way back, dinner was about to begin and she had to hurriedly change into her dinner robe.

There were a lot of clothes for many different occasions; even some for events as little as dinner and tea time.

* * *

_Dinner: The Great Hall  
_

For Dinner, special tables with rotating tops attached had been moved out and there were large vegetable leaves for wraps and there were standard ingredients for the filling; teriyaki chicken, white rice, green onions, parsley, soft and thinly sliced vegetables, fish, and sauce. Aside from the specialty, there was wanton soup.

Ty Lee, Mai and Azula sat as a group with twelve other girls and, as they filled their lettuce leaves with food, told each other about their first day at the academy.

"And I was locked out until Kiza burst out in her gaudy robe and was about to go to dinner!" Azula ranted.

"So, Mai; what did Iroke-sensei want with you?" Ty Lee asked.

Mai suddenly became focused on her lettuce wrap.

* * *

_Tea Time: The Great Hall  
_

"I won't tell; I promise." Ty Lee insisted as she bowed in thanks for the tea given to her by the head of the table.

The student of the top seniority of every table was expected to pour tea for her 'younger sisters' to give them an example of what a lady should do.

Mai took her cup of tea and took it a bit too much, too quickly.

She spat it out; sticking out her tongue, and moaned softly in pain; cursing that she had let her thoughts wander too much.

* * *

_Nightly Process: The Bathhouse_

"Really, Mai; tell me." Ty Lee pressed.

The two girls were next to one another on low stools and washing themselves with cloths.

"It was…nothing; really." Mai persisted; rubbing the washcloth against her right arm.

"Then why did you stay for so long; until it was nearly time for dinner?" Ty Lee asked.

"I was wandering around and got lost after what he suggested; that was all." Mai replied; lifting the bucket of warm water next to her stool.

"What did he say, then?"

At that moment, Mai chose to dump the bucket on her head; having an excuse to not speak.

Now, she needed to focus on brushing the tangles out of her soaked hair.

* * *

_Curfew _

**Azula**

Something was moving beneath her so-called 'bed' made of dirty clothes.

Azula heard something too; like the hissing of a kettle filled with boiling water.

She shifted, and saw a snake poised to strike at her feet.

She screamed, all of the lights in the room suddenly flaring on, and awoke three newly pissed off girls.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hinagata demanded.

Azula pointed to the object at her feet.

"It is your tangled sash." Amaeru said; rolling her eyes in disgust and tugging the sheets over her body again.

"Screechy little bitch, isn't she?" Kiza murmured; extinguishing the lights.

**Ty Lee**

No matter how much she tried to lull herself to sleep, she just could not believe it.

Earlier that day, her parents had sent her a letter with a traditional sweet that was a sign that she was betrothed; but Ty Lee failed to notice that because she had too preoccupied with doing her homework and wondering about the strange 'romance' involving Mai and their dance teacher.

All she knew about her future husband, her mother had kept him very vague, was that he was in the army, a very rich and prominent man already, and many years older than she was.

She hoped that whatever happened with her father didn't repeat with him.

**Mai **

"Mai." Jinai whispered. Mai opened her eyes.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"What did Iroke want?" the older girl asked.

"He…said that I should take some private lessons in dance from him since I was undereducated." Mai whispered; a bit ashamed at the fact.

"Oh."

There was silence again.

"Well, if you ever do see him in a state of undress, can you tell me if he is as well-endowed as he is rumored to be?" Jinai asked; giggling when she saw the girl flush redder than Fire Nation armor.

Great; now she, Mai, would lose nights of sleep on pondering about Iroke's…guy part.

Then it hit her; Iroke still had her diary.

* * *

Such an exciting first day, was it not? 

Review, please.


	4. It was a bad day, or should I say week?

A/N: The first parts of this chapter is written in the format of written things such as assignments written in planners (provided for the girls from the academy), notes, referral notes, tardy slips, et cetera

* * *

**Lesson 3: An Academic Lady remains calm; even in the most nerve-wracking situation**

* * *

The first Monday for all three girls had gone well, but they were only commencing to become engrossed within the Royal Academy life_**.  
**_

_**Tuesday: twenty-eighth day of the eighth month**_

_Student Planners_

**Mai**

First Class: Read the second chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and write a short summary of the chapter

Second Class: Be prepared to play _'Nanoha' _on the _koto_ tomorrow in front of a selected group of teachers

Third Class: In text-and-work-book, solve problems one through twenty-nine using the taught method of arithmetic

Fourth Class: Read about the rise of the feminine powers in the Fire Nation between the millennia (50 zodiacs) of Yayoi

Fifth Class: Practice the basic Tae-Bo learned today

Sixth Class: Learn the basic dance positions, work with Iroke a bit after class about my posture and grace while dancing (do not forget to meet Iroke for private dance lessons the coming Saturday)

**Ty Lee**

First Class: In text-and-work-book, solve problems one through twenty-nine using the taught method of arithmetic

Second Class: Read the second chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and write a short summary of the chapter

Third Class: Be prepared to play _'Torioi'_ on the _koto_ tomorrow in front of a selected group of teachers

Fourth Class: Read about the rise of the feminine powers in the Fire Nation between the millennia (50 zodiacs) of Yayoi

Fifth Class: Continue to practice one's tumbling

Sixth Class: Learn the basic dance positions

_From the Desk of the Headmistress of the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls_

_Miss Ouritso Azula,_

_It has come to my attention that you have spurned your dance class on the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month and Iroke-sensei has requested that you are to be pulled from the class of dance. We will do so, but I regret that there are no available slots for any other class available to first years such as yourself and therefore, you have been assigned to assist the servants of the royal academy with their daily chores in the place of your first class. _

_Your Headmistress, _

_Kyonyuu-Sama_

_Student Planners_

**Azula**

First Class: Nil; accompany servants to do their work with them

Second Class: In text-and-work-book, solve problems one through twenty-nine using the taught method of arithmetic

Third Class: Read about the rise of the feminine powers in the Fire Nation between the millennia (50 zodiacs) of Yayoi

Fourth Class: Read the second chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and write a short summary of the chapter

Fifth Class: Practice second and third drills from the beginner's Firebending scroll

Sixth Class: Be prepared to play _'Yozakura'_ on the _koto_ tomorrow in front of a selected group of teachers

_Note passed in History Class_

_To: Mai_

_From: Ty Lee_

'**Which piece do you have to play for Etiquette class?'**

'Nanoha; what about you?'

'**Torioi. But enough about etiquette class; how long did you think you could keep me in the dark?'**

'What do you mean?'

'**About you…and your private dance lessons with Iroke. What IS going on between you two?'**

'I don't know what you are talking about.'

'**Don't lie to me, Mai; I saw the look of surprise and your eyes widening when you read my message. That, and, you always blush when you fib and you're right now as red as you can get.'**

'I'll tell you all you want to know if you answer me one question.'

'**Sure, what is it?'**

'How did you know?'

'**Rumors and news spread around very fast in this academy; that's all I will say. Ready for my inquisition?' **

'As I will ever be.' 

'**When did you and Iroke first meet? When he saw you during dance, he said 'hello again, stranger'.' **

'he was the teacher whom I asked for directions to get to the main office.' 

'**Be more specific; how did you two meet, describe the scene.'**

'I was sitting in the back of the carriage perfecting a poetic verse and I didn't know he was right in front of the carriage and it was after he suggested a few changes in my verse that I actually noticed him. I demanded to know who he is, but he just ignored me; stating that I must have been one of the new students at the Royal Academy and then he pulled open the carriage door before I could object and held out his hand; saying 'care to come out?' For a dance teacher, he honestly didn't use the rules of formality when introducing himself to me or trying to coax me to come out. After we were both out in the open, he then introduced himself to me. Then, some other girls came by and snickered that Iroke had a new 'girl' and the mood changed. I asked him for directions, he gave them to me, and I ran.' 

'**Well, it was romantic while it lasted. Don't worry, Mai; Iroke is really good looking and the other girls were probably jealous of the fact that he was paying attention to you.'**

'I don't know if they were jealous. If they were, I give them my blessing to chase after him. But come on, Ty Lee; what if Iroke is not honestly what people would call a 'good man'?' 

'**I say you've been listening to your mother a bit too much, Mai; you know how she would always smother you and try to keep your naïveté at a maximum. Iroke isn't a kind of man to do that.' **

'This is coming from a girl whose dad came into her room every night and touched her?' 

**'…'**

'I'm sorry, Ty Lee. I never should have brought up that subject; well, maybe you're right. Maybe Iroke is…different in some way.' 

'**He sure is different from the other male teachers of the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls. And rumor is, he does have a very well-endowed 'spear'.' **

'NOT YOU TOO!' 

'**Relax, Mai; I am not going to become one of Iroke's mindless followers who are bound to be heartbroken by him in the end. Just look at what happened to Atsu.' **

'I am glad, then. Looks like Kasuka-sensei is coming back; we'd better put this up.' 

'**Sure. You keep it; or at least destroy it afterwards. We don't want this to fall into the wrong hands.' **

'But whose hands are the wrong hands?'

_Referral Note_

_Name: Ouritsu Azula_

_Date: the Twenty-Eight day of the Eight Month, year of the Shark_

_Offense: at three fourteen in the afternoon, Miss Ouritsu Azula was heard screaming from all the way out of the hall and, as the witness servant concurs with the rest of the students, when she came in to see what was happening, she found the accused standing on her desk and shooting fire out in all directions. Some students suffered minor injuries, many textbooks and furniture was burnt, articles of clothing and makeup and some hair was also burnt. The accused claims that it was self defense; she said that she was provoked by Kyouji Kiza, sixteen; a fifth year, Tsukegaru Amaeru, sixteen; a fifth year, and Mesuinu Hinagata, sixteen; a fifth year. So far, no one has confirmed her story. _

_Witness Testimonies: _

_Itana Kitsune (third year)_

_Her testimony: We were all sitting in History Class when suddenly, Ouritsu Azula went ballistic; she threw fire everywhere and burned many things, then she jumped up and began attacking Kyouji Kiza, Tsukegaru Amaeru, and Mesuinu Hinagata; pulling their hair, setting fire to their makeup and robes, and even trying to burn one of their faces off. The guards had to come in and rip her away from them and then she had to be sedated. _

_Aou Celina (second year)_

_Her testimony: Everyone was talking again since Kasuka-sensei felt faint and I hear someone whispering a bit beforehand and then Ouritsu Azula went crazy and began to Firebend like a tyrant would. A few moments before she could do serious damage, the guards came in and her hysteria is such an embarrassment to us all._

_**Tuesday: twenty-Ninth day of the eighth month**_

_Academic Marks on Koto Performance_

**Mai**

Name: Tengtang Mai

Class: Second Class, every day

Piece Performed: _Nanoha_

Teachers Present: Kasuka-sensei, Iroke-sensei, and Rimé-sensei

Comments: "It is very rare that such a talent is found in the royal academy today; despite a few minor flaws, such as she would always flinch for some reason whenever she noticed that she missed a note, she performed the piece perfectly."—Kasuka-sensei. "_Nanoha_ is said to only a piece telling of a butterfly and a cole blossom, but with such the light melody and gentle emphasis put into the piece, Tengtang Mai has made it into a much more breathtaking and awe-some piece."—Iroke-sensei. "Even if she made a few flaws, the discipline stick seemed to be the root of them, she has met my standards."—Rimé-sensei

Overall Mark: 9.5 out of 10

**Ty Lee**

Name: Akuro Ty Lee

Class: Third Class, every day

Piece Performed: _Torioi _

Teachers Present: Reikou-sensei, Katou-sensei, Rimé-sensei

Comments: "She was not off-beat, her notes were played just right, and there is a refined elegance in the piece."—Reikou-sensei. "Akuro Ty Lee seems to have the natural ability to transform a simple piece of music into a fantasy world. It seemed that when she played, she was that traveling music bard."—Katou-sensei. "She has met my expectations."—Rimé-sensei.

Overall Mark: 9 out of 10

**Azula**

Name: Ouritsu Azula

Class: Sixth Class, every day

Piece: _Yozakura_

Teachers Present: Tana-sensei, Rui-sensei, Rimé-sensei

Comments: "Her notes seemed to be clumsy and her timing was ill-rehearsed; did she practice at all?"—Tana-sensei. "What an interesting and original way to play the piece; I never imagined _Yozakura_ would describe the descending of Cherry Blossoms in a thunderstorm."—Rui-sensei. "I expected much better from a princess."—Rimé-sensei.

Overall Mark: 2 out of 10

_Recorded Library Conversation during Free Time: 6:29 PM-6:37 PM_

_Subjects: Ouritsu Azula, Tengtang Mai, Akuro Ty Lee_

Ouritsu Azula: I hate them! Those bitches!

Tengtang Mai: What did they do this time?

Ouritsu Azula: They wouldn't let me practice my _Koto_, there was the reason for my bad mark, and they kept me in the room forcing me to do work! Like I was a common servant!

Akuro Ty Lee: Technically, now that you are helping the servants, you are.

Tengtang Mai: Ty Lee—

Ouritsu Azula: Bite your tongue.

Tengtang Mai: I have to go; excuse me.

Akuro Ty Lee: But your after-school dance lesson with Iroke is over, Mai.

Ouritsu Azula: What's this about Mai taking after-school dance lesson from Iroke?

Tengtang Mai: It's nothing, really; he just wants to get me caught up with the other girls in my class.

Ouritsu Azula: Oh, I see. Well, go your way, then.

(Tengtang Mai leaves)

Akuro Ty Lee: I have to go too; I'm expecting a letter and some goodies from my parents.

(Akuro Ty Lee leaves)

_**Wednesday: thirtieth day of the eighth month**_

_Student Planners_

**Mai**

First class: Continue to read 'The Tale of Orofino' and record one's answers on the packet given

Second class: Learn to play 'Daradara Ouro' on the shamisen within a week's time

Third Class: in text-and-work-book, work problems one through eighteen on page thirty-one with newly acquired knowledge of the order of operations

Fourth Class: Read pages thirty-three to thirty nine in textbook

Fifth Class: continue to practice routine with the bamboo sword given to you

Sixth Class: learn how to morph the dance positions together to make it a dance itself, walk sans slipping in the required dance slippers (do not forget to meet Iroke Saturday for private dance lesson)

**Ty Lee**

First Class: In text-and-work-book, work problems one through eighteen on page thirty-one with newly acquired knowledge of the order of operations

Second Class: Continue to read 'The Tale of Orofino' and record one's answers on the packet given

Third Class: Learn to play 'Daradara Ouro' on the shamisen within a week's time

Fourth Class: Read pages thirty-three to thirty-nine in textbook

Fifth Class: Continue to work on tumbling

Sixth Class: learn how to morph the dance positions together to make it a dance itself

**Azula**

First Class: Nil, help the servants with their work

Second Class: In text-and-work-book, work problems one through eighteen on page thirty-one with newly acquired knowledge of the order of operations

Third Class: Read pages thirty-three to thirty-nine in textbook

Fourth Class: Continue reading 'The Tale of Orofino' and record one's answers on the packet given

Fifth Class: Continue practicing second and third drills from the beginner's Firebending scroll

Sixth Class: Learn to play 'Daradara Ouro' on the shamisen within a week's time

_Record of Tama-fujin, head of the servant's staff at the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls_

_Name: Ouritsu Azula_

_Broken Items: _

_4 serving dishes_

_5 sets of 2 crystal glasses_

_4 porcelain teacups_

_7 dinner plates_

_3 culinary knives_

_Lost items:_

_3 spit roasts_

_5 cutting boards _

_6 kilos of food_

_4 sets of silverware_

_Complaints: _

_5 marks of disrespect for elders_

_3 marks of disrupting the peace_

_4 marks of intentionally breaking Fire Nation Royal Academy property_

_8 marks of misconduct_

_**Thursday: thirty-first day of the eighth month**_

_Teacher Planners for first years_

**Reikou-sensei**

First years: Further study order of operations and for homework, do problems seven through forty, omitting two and nine, on page forty-two in your text-and-work-book

**Kasuka-sensei**

First Years: read about the first Fire Nation civil war breaking out over twin brothers' Onyo and Inyo and answer the chapter questions

**Rimé-sensei **

First Years: Continue to learn how to play the shamisen

**Molady-sensei**

First Years: Progress with reading 'The Tale of Orofino' and have students turn in the first part of their homework packets two Mondays from now

**Iroke-sensei**

Specifically First Years: Teach the students how to twirl continuously sans the dizziness and how to walk on their tiptoes with their ankles together like in third position. (teach Tengtang Mai to 'glide' across the dancing area)

**Katou-sensei**

First Years: Begin teaching them the cartwheel

**Nachizumu-sensei **

First Years: Continue drilling

**Ijin-sensei**

First Years: Begin to work their fore and upper arm muscles in preparation for archery

_**Friday, first day of the ninth month**_

_Cafeteria Menu_

**Breakfast**

Specialties: breakfast quiche consisting of eggs, cheese, spinach, ham, and bacon; hot and crusty bread with honey-butter spread; cold milk and wheat-flake cereal

Drinks: Water, fruit juice

**Lunch**

Specialties: Teriyaki sandwiches consisting of chicken, condiment vegetables, on toasted buttered-and-garlic-sprinkled bread, fried sliced potatoes, chocolate cookies 

Drinks: fizzy fruit juice or water

**Dinner**

Specialties: Sushi (eel, tuna, shrimp, crab, yellowtail, vegetable, meat, tuna, snapper, conger, mackerel, uni, roe, toro, tako, squid with rice and nori) and Oden

Drinks: Water and, for the occasion, Sake 

_Late Night report by Hall Monitor_

_Time: 9:40 PM_

_Choudo Hall, at 9:40 PM, Tengtang Mai (first year) was seen coming from her room and swaying as she walked down the hallway; obviously tipsy. She walked with familiarity down the hallway towards the hall of the teacher suites. For a moment, she stopped and hesitated before deciding on the eighth door down on the right side. Opening it, she apparently knew that the door was open, she walked in and closed the door. From outside the door, the sound of her giggling and lightly slurring her words could be heard. _

_**Saturday, second day of the ninth month**_

Today was the day.

It was time.

Lunch had ended at twelve-thirty—why, oh, why couldn't the hour have dragged on longer?—and now she had to meet Iroke-sensei for her first weekend private dance lesson.

Mai walked slowly down the hallway, dreading when she would enter that room.

It seemed that the long hallway was so short this time. When she reached the doorway, she took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in." Iroke's deep and—would she dare to call it?—sensuous voice answered.

She turned the knob and pushed the door open. The dance classroom looked so different without seventy-four other girls being in there also.

Now, it was only her and Iroke. He smiled at her.

"I am glad that you came." He stated.

"It would be hard not to go after the whole school knows about it." Mai remarked truthfully.

In the four days between Monday and today, word had gotten around the entire school that a first year had to take 'Private Dance Lessons' from Iroke-sensei and many had even told others of her name, so all week she was receiving glares of envy and curiosity, girls who had avoided her at first were coming up to her and 'befriending' her, some girls requesting for her to give something to Iroke, others asking questions about—to her consternation—his 'male part', and walking off huffily when she refused to answer any of them.

"Ah." He simply said.

What was THAT supposed to mean? Did this happen to him before? Was he honestly expecting that it would happen?

Mai's head spun with questions, but she forced herself to walk forward in lieu of blurting them out.

There was an assistant there, but he seemed completely uninterested; after all, there was only Iroke and some flat-chested little girl who apparently came for a private dance lesson.

"Well, let us get started; at least." He said to her.

_Outside the Windows_

The other girls were standing on their tiptoes to try and see what was happening through the bottom part of the windows.

To the contrary of Mai's beliefs, some girls didn't know of her first 'private dance lesson' with Iroke until a few minutes before she entered and now, those girls were craning to see what was happening.

"Who is she?" one of them asked in an almost indignant tone.

"She's probably a first year, judging by her short stature." her friend answered.

"A first year with Iroke?" a third one demanded.

Of course, none of the girls would admit to being jealous; because being jealous of a first year was extremely gauche.

"What about her hair? She wraps her pigtails into those miniature pucca caps." Another commented.

"Other than that, she looks...fine." The only bold one of the group said.

The others turned to her.

"She has no breasts."

"Or any curves at all."

"She's so much shorter than Iroke."

"She's so thin."

"And her style could use a few tips."

"She's just not sexy."

The girls then stared at each other.

"You mean, I've been throwing myself at him for the past two years out of nothing because he prefers little girls with almost no figures?" The oldest girl, who was about 16, shouted in outrage.

"Maybe he just doesn't like breasts." Her companion, about her age, suggested.

"Then you two would be too mismatched; your breasts would probably protect you if you fell on your front." The 16 year old girl snapped back.

The other one looked incensed. "At least MY breasts don't sag and have so many stretch marks!" she spat back.

It turned into a practical cat-fight then and there. No one paid attention, though; cat-fights when it came to being over Iroke, the icon of male sex in the entire school, were very common amongst girls.

"But today is Saturday; Iroke doesn't have classes." One of the neutral girls, aged 14, pointed out.

"Then what in the name of Agni is he doing with her?" the other one, whose age was impossible to judge because she was taller than her friend yet her face and body looked like that of a 10 year old.

_Back Inside_

This was uncomfortable.

VERY uncomfortable.

Besides that he was at least two feet taller than she was, which did cause a bunch of problems, she could honestly feel the heat radiating from him—which was a signal, in her opinion, that he was a bit too close for comfort--and if that wasn't worst enough, her chest was pressing into his crotch!

Damn her short limbs and height!

"Are you paying attention, Mai?" he asked.

Mai looked up; startled. "What?" she asked impulsively.

"I would think that such a girl like you would pay much more attention...to many things." Iroke remarked.

If innuendos could kill...

_'He is not flirting with me he is not flirting with me he is not flirting with me he is not flirting with me.'_ Mai continued to repeat the mantra in her head.

There was a loud clanging sound from behind her and, out of shock, Mai stood completely still for a moment.

Bad move on her part.

Iroke, assuming that she was unaffected by the sudden noise, stepped backwards and involuntarily knocked her off balance.

Reacting as she usually did, Mai instinctively grabbed onto the nearest object in her reach to keep her from falling on the floor.

Unfortunately, she forgot where she was, who she was with, who was looking on, and that the 'object' closest to her was Iroke's pants.

_Outside_

"She's pulling down his pants!" one of the girls on 'watch duty' shrieked.

At once, the other girls stopped catfighting and pressed themselves at the windows; all vying for a look.

"What the—?" the same 16 year old girl exclaimed.

"I doubt it; she doesn't even look as if she had been given 'the talk' about things yet." her companion answered.

"So Iroke is letting some naïve girl see his part and he won't so much as take his shirt off for me?" another griped.

_Back inside_

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" Mai kept repeating about ten feet away from him.

Iroke smiled the best he could and pulled up the rest of his dark pants.

"It was an accident, Mai. I understand." he reassured.

She still wouldn't dare come any closer to him.

Yes, she did see it.

And that was what made her scurry backwards the fastest using the crab-walk without hitching up her skirt and exposing any more of her legs to him than she wanted to.

He came over to her, it only took him two steps to do so, and picked her up again; motioning to the stunned—and slightly envious—volunteer to resume the music.

_Outside_

"The next thing you know, he'll be asking her to marry him!" the buxom girl ranted.

"Her? She's a seven year old flat-chested girl and he, though he IS an icon of sex and probably a god personified, is an average man from an average family in the average village that was here before the Royal Academy was built." Her friend contradicted.

"But haven't you heard about the other rumors surrounding Iroke?" The 14 year old girl inquired.

The other three looked at the girl as if she was crazy; who hadn't?

_Back Inside_

"Maybe we'll get more done tomorrow, but you made very good progress today." Iroke said to her.

She, though listening to him, was trying her hardest not to stare at his crotch.

It was bad enough that she saw IT, but she really didn't see it and her brain was demanding a double take.

"Alright. See you...tomorrow." Mai replied; turning to go.

"And one more thing. Did you drink too much sake last night?" Iroke inquired.

Of course she didn't she only drank one cup full

Or was it two?

Or five?

She had lost count after her seventh.

"Of course not; an Academic Lady should not drink unless invited or needed to." Mai quoted.

"It seems to me like you did." Iroke said; sitting down on the floor.

"How so?" Mai demanded; trying to think about what she did after dinner was over. Tea didn't help her senses much and she could barely remember the rest. In the morning, she woke up late in what she presumed was Ty Lee's room. Ty Lee probably thought that she needed sleep since she got drunk last night and left.

"You staggered into my room and began to rant and slur your words; you called me Ty Lee." Iroke said.

"But—." She was sure that she had gone into Ty Lee's room; wasn't her room in the Choudo hallway; the eight door to the left?

And Iroke's room was also in Choudo hallway; the eighth door to the right.

Oh, crap.

"What did I say, if you comprehended much?" Mai asked; trying to keep her voice and body from shaking.

"About your crush, About Azula being a bitch—." he smiled. "About me."

_'What else did I say?'_ Mai thought and longed to ask, but decided not to.

"Uh--see you tomorrow." she said quickly; running out of the room.

It was bad enough that he still had her diary, and now he had her drunken rantings, and this incident to bring up whenever he wanted to.

Why did she keep getting herself into these situations?

_Later_

"So what did it feel like?" Ty Lee demanded after Mai had told her what happened.

"Like skin." Mai said vaguely.

When she fell, she also touched his 'spear'.

ON **ACCIDENT**; she nearly screamed after seeing Ty Lee's stunned expression.

"No, I mean; was it really that large?" Ty Lee asked. Mai's face grew redder.

"I don't know; I only touched the base of it." she said hurriedly.

"Was it wide, then?" Ty Lee asked.

"I don't know; and even if I had accidentally snuck into his room, very drunk on sake last night, I still wouldn't—!"

Big mistake. Ty Lee's eyes grew wide and she was trying to hold in a gasp.

**"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!"** Mai shouted; nearly spazzing now.

"What happened then?" Ty Lee asked; a lopsided grin on her face.

"I don't know. He told me that I just started to rant and rant. About Zuko, about Azula, about...him, and Agni knows what else! And I woke up on his bed the next day." If Mai felt any hotter than she did then, she probably would have exploded.

"You're blushing and stuttering as you're telling me these things. Do you like him?" Ty Lee inquired; peering at her friend.

"NO!" Mai shouted; her face growing redder and her body growing more hot-and-bothered with the single word.

* * *

Poor Mai! Always getting caught in the tangled and messy web of amoreuse (love, for those of you who do not speak French). 


	5. Reveal your true face in the Masquerade

To Emily: I know, focusing on Mai and Iroke might be kind bad for the fic in general, but I just can't help it; Mai seems to the girl to have had her character change the most and I assumed that it changed during her years at the Fire Nation Royal Academy for girls. And so, with oodles of creativity and crack-pot possibilities, I formulated her story plot but I didn't realize that it would be the biggest—and in my opinion, most interesting and scandalous—of all three girls. For Azula, it seemed to me that her character changed a lot and there was a story behind it. I think that if bad things happen to her on account of her personality (but Azula wouldn't acknowledge that due to her vanity), she would be motivated for revenge and would sooner or later turn into the cold-blooded murderer we love to hate in the present series.

To the other reviewers commenting on Azula: Be patient. She'll have her revenge soon enough.

* * *

Lesson 4: An Academic Lady does not show fear or weakness in public, no matter how excruciating the situation

* * *

Thankfully, Mai had always been a fast learner and within time for the Fête de l'Autome, she didn't need to take private lessons with Iroke anymore. 

The Fête was just a trip to the mainland to view the spectacles—those of Fireworks, mainland food, shows, and a handful of other activities that were celebrating the end of summer; the Fire season—and then it was back to the Kinjo island and back to their academic school work.

"I fear my Saturdays will be filled with boredom without you to teach." Iroke's parting words to her.

"Mine as well, except that there would be nowhere to go." Mai replied sans thinking for a moment.

When she felt his lips press onto her cheek, she realized what she had said and her face lit up bright red again; was she unintentionally leading him on and he was taking the so-called invitation? Quickly, she pulled away; stunned.

"Uh—." she began, but was at a loss for words. Iroke seemed a bit confused, and then realized why she was acting so incongruous.

"Do they not do parting kisses in your region of the Fire Nation?" He asked and explained in his question.

"No." Mai ran out of the ballroom and Iroke was sure she would have done so screaming had she not misplaced her voice.

* * *

"Mai and Iroke sitting in a tree; K-I-S-S—." Ty Lee sang. 

"We are not a couple and I told you; he explained to me that where he came from, such a kiss was gesture of greeting or departing! And it was only on the cheek!" Mai interrupted her.

"But he still kissed you nonetheless." Ty Lee pointed out frankly. She was more or less the queen of say-no-cordial-listen-to-no-others, the title speaking for itself.

"Let's not talk about it anymore. What about you? You've been acting strange for quite a while." Mai changed the subject.

"Uh—I'm…betrothed." Ty Lee relented; watching Mai's eyes widened considerably.

It wasn't because she was shocked that Ty Lee was betrothed—to the contrary, Mai hoped that her future husband would give her a better life than the one her parents gave her at her 'home'—but it was just that Mai could not see Ty Lee actually marrying anyone and being a kept and idol woman; her only duty to fill the nursery, manage the household, and warm her husband's bed.

"Oh. Do you know who it is?" Mai asked; regarding her friend.

Ty Lee hesitated; not wanting to tell anyone else.

"My parents never told me; all they said in their letter is that he's…older than I am, he's in the army, and he comes from a very prosperous family." She admitted to her friend. Mai remained silent; she learned from her mother that if she did, her speaker would most continue.

"They're coming to see me and also requesting that he come along with them during Kurisumasu, but they said that he might have already come…" Ty Lee shivered as her old habit of fear returned.

Mai scooted over on the bed and put her arms around her friend. Poor Ty Lee; Mai's current life seemed like a blessing, even the part about having what she did not want and wanting what she did not have, compared to Ty Lee's right then.

"So…what costume are you going to wear to the Masquerade de Toussaint?" Mai asked; hoping this topic would not be as melancholy as the preceding one.

* * *

The days passed like a waterfall passing a cliff and Reikou-sensei had begun teaching the first years the method of borrowing in subtraction, Rimé-sensei was enforcing upon the girls more shamisen pieces, Kasuka-sensei was teaching them about the world war that had occurred when the Earth Kingdom had 'split in two', Molady-sensei had begun making them read tales from 'The Brothers Grimm' books and asking for the students to come up with their original fairy tale and turn it in before Kurisumasu, Iroke-sensei was getting the girls to dance with one another in preparation for the upcoming Fête des Toussaint, Katou-sensei was beginning to teach her class cartwheels, Nachizumu-sensei was performing her quarterly selection to signify who would move on to more advanced Firebending and who would stay behind, and Ijin-sensei was teaching the girls in her first year Weaponry class how to shoot arrows to far-distanced targets; just like the YuuYan archers.

* * *

"So, I just dealt him one and kicked him out; screaming rape. He had a lot of explaining to do." Hinagata said with an arrogant chortle. 

Amaeru and Kiza followed; laughing at such a story.

"Is it true that he had a small one?" Kiza asked with a giggle.

"Kiza, how unladylike of you to ask about a man's part!" Amaeru said in pseudo-outrage.

As quietly as she could, while the other girls were engrossed in such a conversation, Azula tried to sneak past them.

Without warning, Hinagata threw one of her heavy textbooks over her shoulder; hitting their younger 'roommate' square in the back. Azula cried out in pain at the unexpected blow and the three older girls turned around.

"Well, just the girl we wanted to see." Kiza said with what sounded like a purr; standing up and walking slowly over to the princess.

Azula grit her teeth; knowing better than to fire back at their tittering. If she remains aloof, they would get bored sooner and go back to their own business; if she retorted, then they would take it as a challenge and set out to make her stay in the dormitory for more miserable Agni-knows-what 'fun' activities.

Amaeru noticed Azula's guarded expression and laughed; pulling out a box.

"We just wanted to give you this; for the Fête de Toussaint." She replied; holding it out like a 'peace offering'. Azula took the box; her suspicious eyes on the girls as she did so.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Hinagata asked innocently.

Her nails raking at the box out of anger, Azula undid the ribbon and pried the top part of the box off of the bottom part.

The 'dress' looked innocent enough; something made of black silk with bits of gothic-like spider web designs for the neck, hem, and sleeve ends which were also black. There was a hat and shoes with a slight chunk heel; both items also black.

"Thank you." Azula said; nearly biting her tongue to the point of bleeding when she said such words.

"It's nothing." Kiza replied and, with a wave of her hand, left the room with Amaeru and Hinagata.

So, first they were bullying her, and now they give her this costume? Something was wrong; Azula could smell the foulness reeking from those girls.

Everyone knows that the one thing scarier than your worst enemy—or enemies for the matter—becoming even more brutalizing is that if she or he or they suddenly begin acting nice AND give you a 'present'.

* * *

It was near sunset when the carriages began to arrive. 

Pulled by Komodo Rhinos, the carriages held up to 10 of the male students in the Royal Academy for Boys.

Determining which academy the fêtes were to be held in was simply by alternating it every year; this year, the Fête was to be held at the Girls' Academy, next year it would be held at the Boys', and then the cycle would repeat itself.

The three first years had gathered in Mai's dormitory along with her other roommates to watch the boys' headmaster be welcomed by their (the girls') rather large-chested headmistress.

"So who do you all think is cute?" Jinai asked as she waved to a student who seemed to be a few years older than she was from the window.

"But all of the boys that came seem to be older than fourteen." Ty Lee put in; noticing the telltale signs of their face.

"Yes, and that's what sad about it; the only time those younger boys agree to come is when Iroke has to go to the Boys Academy and practically drag them by the ankles back." Kokoro concurred.

The five girls turned to stare at her; how did she know such a fact?

"What? He asked me to go with him once." She explained quickly.

In the Fire Nation, the age where a boy was awkward around a girl began when he was about 11 or so; it varied because there were many factors in determining why and when a boy would feel awkward around members of the opposite sex. For example, if a boy's voice was undergoing its deepening, that was usually a sign that his awkward stage had begun. Other factors were hormones, exposure to the 'adult—mainly about sex—ways', growth spurts, if he began to grow facial hair, et cetera, et cetera.

"So what is your costume, Ty Lee?" Mai asked; trying to change the subject.

"I have an old costume Katou-sensei; it's a traditional one female belly-dancers wear. What about you?" Ty Lee replied.

"Uh…I don't have one." Mai told her.

"But how can you not have one? The academy even paid a voyage for us to sail to the mainland and shop there." Aneue demanded.

"I didn't get to go; my parents didn't pay for it." The younger student told her.

"I'll loan you one of mine." Jinai put in; going over to her chest and extracting one of her old costumes.

It was a gold-and-white off-the-shoulder dress with a gold bodice partially covering the white lacy material underneath, a full length white petticoat partially covered with the skirt part of the gold gown, with knee-length white socks and shiny black low-heeled boots, similar to horseback riding boots, to go with it. There was also a miniature white cape held with a gold chain to complete the outfit, but the occasion was probably too warm for such an accessory.

Besides the fact that it was made of lace and frills—Mai didn't really like lace of frills very much on account of her mother adoring to dress her up in such things when she was younger—and that the skirt and petticoat were cut to just above her knees, but it just looked a bit too expensive for her to wear.

"I couldn't—." Mai began, but Jinai shook her head.

"It's a costume that won't fit me anyway and you look perfect for it; at least try it on." She suggested.

Mai, not wanting to refuse someone who had done so much for her, took the costume and went behind the changing screen set up in the last corner of the room. She didn't need the bodice; her waist was already small enough—as expected of a girl-child—and she had no breasts to hold or push up and flaunt. Mai tied up the mask, which had again a white-and-gold theme, and pinned up her hair.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she wondered how anyone would be able to recognize her; she looked so different.

Just as Ty Lee and Azula were slipping into their costumes, the bell-runner came down their halls; signifying that the fête had begun.

"Let's go." Kokoro said; opening the door while she slipped on her glittery semi gold semi silver mask.

The girls had to enter in a two-by-two manner with the elder students going before the younger ones, which meant that it was nearly forever before Azula, Mai and Ty Lee entered the room. Being buddies, Mai let Ty Lee drag her away and they were laughing at how some of the younger boys were dressed up so frivolously, it was too hilarious for words.

The time passed and, with the exception of having to endure a few dances with this-or-that boy, Mai and Ty Lee remained together.

Most of the older girls had to suffer the attentions of the older, and strangely less mature, boy students who came to more or less try and cop a feel on the more buxom girls at the fête.

"Those poor girls." Mai commented; glad for her flat chest.

"True." Ty Lee replied; instinctively crossing her arms in front of her chest.

She had felt minor lumps in her chest a year ago and, after she had gotten over the initial shock, tried to bind them as tightly as she could so they wouldn't get any bigger, but her tries were all in vain; from what she saw, she had more of a chest than even a few third years!

"May I have this dance?" a voice asked abruptly from behind them.

Turning, Mai and Ty Lee saw a very tall and intimidating, at least to them, man who wore a costume of all black; even a dark mask that showed only his eyes and mouth. Mai gave Ty Lee a light push from behind her; it was obvious to them both that he had asked Ty Lee to dance with him. Swallowing what was left of the moisture in her throat, Ty Lee extended her hand to meet his.

"Yes, I would love to dance." She said in an almost mechanical way; letting him enclose his much larger hand around hers and lead her away to the dancing area.

Mai bit her lip; she had become a keen observer of detail, and she had seen a strange gleam in his eye when he approached Ty Lee. Whatever the man's motive for asking Ty Lee to dance, she hoped for her friend's sake that it wasn't a perverse one.

* * *

"Are you regretting that you dropped out of dance, little one?" Iroke asked; having to once again kneel down. 

Azula lifted her chin and made a small moue with her mouth; pride above all.

"Like I already said, I do not need to know how to dance. I am going to become a master Firebender, not a courtesan." She purposely used 'Courtesan' to try and see if Iroke would take her words into heart.

"But did you know that Firebending is believed to have been originally a form of dancing entertainment?" Iroke pointed out.

It was half-true; the movement one made with Fire was similar to the ancient ritual-dances that were, until recently, performed at intervals which varied from every hour to every four years.

"History scrolls do not state that." Azula replied coarsely.

"History scrolls often lie." Iroke only replied; a distant look in his eyes.

He rose up and walked away; leaving the sulky and only girl not dancing in the room to look even stupider.

* * *

'_Why did he leave?'_ Mai wondered as she began walking towards the door. 

Someone, most likely a male judging by the body's figure, had sneaked out one of the minor doors of the ballroom and, through the window, Mai could just see a dark figure gliding across to one of the theme gardens on the other side of the academy.

Making sure that no one else saw her, Mai quickly went after the person; her interest already piqued.

Besides a few young boys, no one else had asked her to dance—maybe the news, though it was more like gossip, of her lessons with Iroke had also spread to the Boys academy as well?—and Ty Lee and Azula were wrapped up in their own things so the 'party' was more or less as dull as it could have been for her.

As she rounded the corner, she nearly ran into the mysterious man—except that he was joined by a woman.

"You came." He said huskily.

"What do you want?" a brisk female's tone demanded. There was something familiar about the woman's voice, but Mai just couldn't put her finger on it…

The cloaked man moved closer to his 'partner' and Mai, scurrying into the bushes for cover, watched as he raised one of his hands to touch her face but was thwarted by the woman slapping it away.

"My patience is wearing thin." The woman snapped.

"I came to talk of marriage." The man said; removing his cloak to reveal to Mai that he was in his early twenties and quite good looking.

The woman laughed and turned away from him.

"Marriage? Did you not say that, at the beginning of our affair, that you did not want anything of the sort; only sexual relations?" the woman snapped coarsely.

"That's changed now; I've changed." He said to which the woman laughed again.

"And to how many others have you said that to?" she snapped; turning to go.

"I know you're only scared." The man suddenly said.

"You were left a widow and, instead of letting your parents marry you off again, chose to join the military. You are only scared of emotional commitment." He elaborated.

"My husband was a great man. I loved only him, and will love only him. Your proposal is an insult to me; but I should have expected as much from you." She spat; turning to go.

"Aiisek, listen to me!" the man shouted; a plead clearly in his tone. He pulled off the woman's mask and Mai wondered why she hadn't heard it before.

"Ijin-sensei?" she whispered.

* * *

"You are very graceful." He commented. 

"Thank you." Ty Lee replied to her dance partner.

In reality, her body was shaking uncontrollably and it would have surprised Ty Lee if she had had an epilepsy attack right then.

"Whoever it is that you will marry, you will make that man a very happy one." The black-clad man said and, without another word, let go of her and seemed to disappear before her own eyes.

Because of the initial shock, Ty Lee fell over; both relieved and shaken. How did…that person, whoever he was, know (or maybe he just hinted at it because it was a compliment he paid to every one of his dance partners) that she was going to be married? A few seconds later, she found herself being pulled up by Iroke.

"Are you alright?" he questioned; lightly placing his fingertips onto her forehead to check for a fever. She seemed to have become paler and weaker, judging by the way she fell without the man's support, throughout the duration of the few minutes that the music lasted, and it seemed as if something was wrong with her.

"I—I'm fine, really." Ty Lee replied; brushing his hand away.

"Are there speakers for this occasion?" she asked; pointing to where three girls were about to get onto the raised platform.

* * *

Everyone was staring at her; why? 

Azula's eyes darted around; seeing more eyes on her. Was it her costume or something? She really shouldn't have put on the costume her roommates had given to her, but she had no other choice. It was either that or ask—or more likely beg—the academy for some kind of spare costume.

"Attention, everyone." Kiza's loud and gravelly voice rang out from the platform.

"On behalf of Kyonyuu-Sama, I hope that everyone is having a good time for this year's Masquerade." Kiza then launched into some ill-prepared speech about the history of both academies, how good they have both been doing, and a bunch of other things that Azula paid no attention to.

"And, as part of the tradition of our Masquerade, we must find the witch and force her out!" Kiza shouted exuberantly.

_'Witch?'_ Azula mentally asked; her thoughts zooming directly to her costume.

"It seems that we have found her! Now, let the chase begin!" Kiza shouted.

A ball of mashed potatoes hit her in the face and she wiped it off in time to see many others grabbing some food and aiming.

She really should have expected it; why else would those girls have been so nice?

* * *

For moments, Mai didn't dare breathe. 

Ijin-sensei, or Aiisek; as the man called her, had yelled and once even cuffed her 'paramour' and kept at it until he ran off like a scalded cat.

Ijin-sensei brushed a few strands of her dark hair out of her face and spat onto the ground.

"Baka." She murmured to herself; then turning her attention to the bushes that Mai was hiding behind. Her head tilted a bit, to try and get a better angle on who—or what—was behind those bushes, and heard a soft rustle of a breath against some leaves.

"You can come out now, Mai." Ijin-sensei told her. Tentatively, Mai stood up and stepped out of the bushes.

"That man..." she began.

"What about him?" the older woman asked.

"Why did you refuse marriage? I thought all women would have wanted to be married to a man who loved them." Mai said.

Ijin chuffed at that comment.

"There are several flaws in that theory of yours. First of all, you heard my story; I refuse to remarry after I was left a widow from...well, we don't need to get into that, but anyways I promised myself that I would never remarry." Ijin-sensei began.

"But—." Mai cut in.

"Sex is not solely a part of marriage for a female." Ijin-sensei replied to Mai's silent question.

"Anyways, when a woman gets married, she almost always loses all purpose in her life. All that is expected of her after she is wed is that she warm her spouse's bed, get pregnant, have a child, and then do it all over again. And she is expected to be continuously monogamous while her husband philanders on a legion scale with ninnies. Women are the ones who are the sufferers and the underappreciated ones, in my opinion. I say that women need men like deserts need rain; it would only ruin them." Ijin-sensei concluded; regarding her pupil.

"And also, a relationship with a pretty-boy close to your age or younger than you are isn't all it's cracked up to be. Try for a much older and mature man; though you'll probably outlive him, he will be better for you on a tenfold scale." Ijin-sensei added.

With those pearls of wisdom, Ijin-sensei whisked Mai back into the ballroom where she nearly collided with a food-covered and very pissed off Azula who aggressively pushed her out of the way before continuing to stomp down the deserted hall.

* * *

"Where did you go?" Ty Lee asked Mai. 

"The room felt too stuffy, so I went outside for some air." Mai replied; a telltale coloring on her cheeks speaking for itself.

"How was your…dance?" Mai counter-questioned.

"It—it ended abruptly." Ty Lee said truthfully.

Just then, her stomach gave a violent lurch and she had to lean against Mai for a bit of support.

"Hey, are you okay?" She seemed a lot paler and fatigued than Mai had ever seen her and her eyes looked glazed over.

"Y-Yeah; just a bit dizzy. I guess I should have eaten and drunk more." Ty Lee replied; trying to steady her strangely fuzzy-feeling legs and focusing her gaze on something else in the room.

As she turned her head, she thought she saw him again, except that he had removed his mask and was talking to…

The images in front of her blurred and her knees gave out as she dropped to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

_After the Masquerade_

"You wished to see me, Ouritsu-chan?" Kyonyuu-Sama asked the student coolly; glad that the little girl had cleaned up before she entered her office.

Ever since that 'incident' where Azula purposefully snubbed Kyonyuu-Sama on her first day here, there had been a growing futility between them; particularly after Azula proved herself to have done so poorly in the school's academic system and therefore giving the school more than a few dark spots on its, up to then, immaculate reputation.

Azula was once again struck and irked by the pushiness and cold formality, though this formality involved 'insulting' Azula, of her headmaster—back at court, she had always been addressed as Azula-Hime or Azula-Sama or even Hime-Sama; never with the use of her last name and 'Chan' a suffix which was used by older people to address familiar younger female acquaintances who were of a lower class—but forced the bristling surge of anger in her back to calm down, sit up straight on the backless chair that was offered to her and take it out by balling up her hands into fists.

"Yes. I have come to request that three girls be expelled from the academy for misconduct." Azula said. _'Keep the goal in mind.'_ She mentally coached herself.

"By those three girls, you mean…?" Kyonyuu-Sama really wasn't stupid, despite the semi-lewd remarks about how 'the bigger the breasts of a woman, the more flaky she was' she had often had to hear and endure when she was growing up and maturing in the pubescent way; she knew for a fact that Azula was being bullied and provoked by her roommates and how they had turned nearly the entire school against her.

"My roommates." Azula wouldn't give those three girls the honor letting their putrid names spill from her lips.

Kyonyuu-Sama stared at the smaller girl critically; she could see that Azula had much potential, but because she was letting so many distractions get the better of her, they were blocking her from achieving what she truly could.

"Ah, yes; those three girls." Kyonyuu-Sama said; her tone obviously feigning interest.

Azula glared at Kyonyuu-Sama with the best imitation of her grandfather's critical and intimidating eye she could; but considering that it was coming from a seven-year-old girl, it wasn't as effective.

"I believe that they have violated a number of academic rules and with that many demerits, such the case should call for expulsion." Azula said tartly; no point in beating around the bush.

Kyonyuu-Sama leaned back; staring at Azula with unemotional eyes.

"Kyouji Kiza, Mesuini Hinagata, and Tsukegaru Amaeru have done nothing but good for this school, Ouritsu-chan; they will not be expelled. I believe that you are only bitter because they chose you to be the so-called victim at the Masquerade. It's a tradition; they even did this when I attended the academy." She replied to the little girl's request.

It was half true; back when Kyonyuu-Sama went to the Royal Academy, the students played a minor variation of what those three girls did. The person selected for the prank was someone who had to be at least in fourth year and the students would only try and throw soft foods such as cakes at them.

Azula jumped up from her seat; not caring about the rules of formality in the academy. Kyonyuu-Sama was being biased just because Azula was royalty! Did she also think that Azula was a spoiled, pampered brat as most of the other girls at this academy chose to believe? That wasn't fair!

"But you don't know what they are really like! They suck up to you because you are their headmistress!" she fired back.

At once, Kyonyuu-Sama stiffened; her posture becoming rigid.

"Are you questioning my authority in this school?" she asked; her tone hard and icy.

"No." Azula said quickly as she felt an unfamiliar sensation surge through her.

It was, to her surprise and dismay, panic; fear.

_'Don't be afraid!' _she mentally retaliated.

"They are staying, Dorei; that is my final word." Kyonyuu-Sama said; her tone concrete.

Once again, Azula's temper flared; indignant at the treatment she was receiving and the fact that Kyonyuu-Sama had addressed her as one would have addressed a servant.

"Who listens to _**your**_ final word? You are a Headmistress by title only! I doubt you know any of your students anyway! What do you do while girls are bullying others? You don't take any action; you are just sitting on your ass all day and idly fantasizing about whoring yourself out!" The seven-year-old screamed in a fit of rage.

At once, Kyonyuu-Sama stood up and a powerful and highly concentrated Fire Whip came down on Azula's back; breaking and burning the skin there.

"Let us get one thing straight, your highness—." She said 'your highness' with a venomous and mocking tone. "—here at the academy, every student is treated as an equal and the titles bestowed on girls from birth do not matter. Here, you are no longer a princess and if you value your life, I suggest you tone down that ego of yours." Kyonyuu-Sama said calmly.

At that comment, Azula exploded.

"How dare you speak like this to your future Fire Lady!" she shrieked.

A second lash from the powerful fire whip was her reward.

"Your brother, the sole legitimate heir, though probably not by Ozai, is the heir to the throne; not you. Besides; a woman is not allowed to rule the Fire Nation independently; if you actually studied your history, then you would know that." Kyonyuu-Sama reasoned; the Fire Whip still in her hand and ready.

The pain in her back was near unbearable, but Azula dare not move a muscle; she felt that if she did, her entire body would explode.

Erecting herself once again, despite the pain coursing through her entire body, Azula raised her chin in defiance; trying to mask her face to be as if she felt no pain at all.

"Because of your behavior, I forbid you from attending any more celebrations until the end of Lent; now get out of my sight, you penurious little vermin." The venom in her tone was like none Azula had ever heard before, save for with her three 'roommates'.

Standing up, so abruptly and stiffly that she knocked over her chair, Azula bit back the urge to spit in that woman's face and spun on her heel to stomp out.

"Do not turn your back on your headmistress." Kyonyuu-Sama ordered sharply.

Her head throbbing out of frustration, Azula forced herself to turn back and slowly step backwards to exit the room.

When the door closed, she ran as fast as she could to the outskirts of the academy.

Inside a hollow tree, Azula took in a shaky breath.

With that breath, she swore; every word she knew and learned from those three bitches, and then some.

She screamed and punched at the tough wood; singing and burning it with every blow. She even thrashed her forehead against the tree from time to time; the sensation easing and distracting her from the pulsating throb of her headache due to her pent up fiery and destructive emotions and intentions.

She had never cried save for when she was born, and her 'father' had beat into her head not to; even if she would have to bite her lips until they were ribbon candy and she had to swallow her own blood, no matter what the cost, she simply could not cry in front of anyone.

She pressed her bloody back against the rough wood; needing a bit of pressure to ease the unrelenting hammering of her emotions and adrenaline rushing through her physical heart.

At that moment, she made a decision.

_'I swear upon the ashes of MY grandfather, Fire Lord Sozun, that I will make those girls wish they had never crossed my path.'_

* * *

Well, she's swearing revenge right now... 


	6. Tis the season for revenge and scandal

To the anonymous reviewer anonymousmurderess: Ty Lee actually learned those words from some of her older sisters, whose ages will be mentioned in this chapter. Also, I decided to portray Ty Lee's character to be observant, a quick learner, and more understanding than her two other friends. And just for the record, Ty Lee and Mai are eight; not seven, I probably made a few typos and said they were seven; which I will correct later.

PS: Sorry for not updating for so long; my ideas for this fic almost went cold for a while. That, and, I decided to focus more on Ty Lee and Azula by popular demand. 

* * *

Lesson 4 and a half: An Academic Lady always expects the unexpected 

After she regained enough energy to drag herself back into the academy, Azula went to the infirmary.

When she came inside, a few girls were helping some of the people who had drunk a bit too much of the alcoholic beverages which were set out for this occasion, but no one would help her. Instead, the girls who served as nurses there only gave her a ewer of 'water' and some bandages and salve to apply on herself.

Azula took a cloth, dipped it in the water, lightly pushed at the top of her scar, and barely restrained a scream of agony; it was SALTWATER!

She kicked the ewer of water over and forced herself to get a bucket of fresh water from a pump outside and came back to the infirmary to clean up her wounds.

Once she finished bandaging herself, she set out to go back to her dormitory. The three girls weren't there tonight…in fact, it looked as if the entire dormitory had been stripped of any show of their existence there in the first place. Sighing, Azula flopped down onto the circular bed in the middle; wincing as she pressed her back onto the mattress.

"I'll get them…I'll get them all." Her last words before she succumbed to the sandman's calling.

* * *

Lesson 5: An Academic Lady is always Dignified 

"Hey, how do you feel?" Mai asked upon seeing Ty Lee's eyes open. She'd given students quite a scare when she'd fainted and began to twitch in an almost violent manner and only when Mai, with Aneue's help, began to try and carry her out of the room did most others offer some kind of aid; mainly stepping out of the way.

"What happened?" Ty Lee asked weakly.

"You fainted; it turns out, you have the flu." Mai answered.

"Oh." Her friend on the bed sighed and then turned away to the window.

Mai, figuring that there was nothing better to do, slipped out of the room unnoticed. A moment later, Azula burst into the room grumbling and raided the medicine cabinet for some ointment. It took her at least two minutes to notice that she wasn't alone in the room.

"How are we today?" she asked pseudo-sweetly.

"Fine." Ty Lee replied aloofly.

With a scoff, Azula exited the medical hold as well.

**A few days later**

'_I must be delirious!' _Ty Lee thought as she sat up from her bed.

Her entire family—five sisters and all—was there besides her.

"And Medea, Kauri, and Ali will all be joining you at the Royal Academy!" her mother finished.

Her other two sisters, Adrianne and Cassava, could not attend; they were not too young—Cassava was twelve and Adrianne was sixteen—the Akuro family just could not afford to send six girls to the elite and costly academy.

At that moment, Ty Lee wanted to burst into tears or scream in anger; but she knew that if she did, the Royal Academy would lose credibility; she had been there for little more than two months and her behavior should have reflected that.

A fake smile plastered on her face, she looked back at her family. "I am glad to hear that; welcome to the academy, Medea, Kauri, and Ali." It was as if she'd just said goodbye to her identity all over again.

**(A/N: the sixth sister hasn't come into the world yet.)**

* * *

On the Day of Atonement—which marked the three-week anniversary of when Ty Lee's sisters came to the academy—the students had to wake up early to report to the chapel for the atonement prayers.

Clutching her rosary, Azula barely listened to the minister as she pondered about how she could exploit Amaeru's weakness. A few days ago, when the academy served a mint cake, Amaeru had to go to the medical wing upon breaking out in a severe rash and suffering something of an epileptic seizure after consuming the dessert and Kiza having accidentally smeared on some of the mint frosting onto her face. "_When there is a weakness, always exploit it."_ Sozun had once said.

"Let us pray." The minister boomed; startling most girls out of their sleepy state.

* * *

"Hey Azula—." Ty Lee began upon entering her dormitory.

Mai had locked herself into her dormitory with her roommates for some unknown reason; probably, she was off socializing and going to 'better places'.

"Not now, Ty Lee." Azula snapped brusquely; pacing around.

"But—!"

"Look, your sisters are here and they're going to stay; just suck it up and make the most of it!" Azula said in, what Ty Lee perceived was, a taunting manner.

Ty Lee stomped out; slamming the door behind her. It wasn't fair; both Azula and Mai had gone through their own problems and Ty Lee stuck with them, but suddenly, when her problem sprang up, they avoided her like the plague!

To others, it must have seemed that her life was a blessing; she was living in a suite usually reserved for authorities and she had family here as well, her friends needed of her support for their issues and they turned to her, she was even getting betrothed to a man from a wealthy family!

But once again, she was in the presence of her sisters who all looked like her and already, there were confusions among the school of who was who, her friends had all but ditched her because of their own issues, and her mother was only using the betrothal as an excuse to shut her up! Oh, yes; life was just great.

* * *

**Ty Lee**

Kurisumasu came, and Ty Lee's parents came to visit her and her sisters.

When they came, however, many thing seemed different about them; particularly when Ty Lee's mother shook her saucer of drink so badly that the cup almost fell off. The six sisters regarded their mother; confused. Not that their mother was the most graceful woman in the world, or that she never seemed nervous in her life, but it looked as if she was to have a nervous attack right then and there.

"More sugar, mother?" Medea offered kindly; to which their mother turned to her with a wild glare in her eyes.

"Sugar? You put sugar in tea here? Did I send you to a school where they teach you to put sugar in everything?" she nearly shouted.

"But mother, you yourself taught us to--!" Ali stepped in.

"Oh, so _I_ taught you this!_ I'm_ the bad mother! _I'm _the undignified mother! _I'm_ the burdening despot who can't even teach her female children to be ladies!"

"Stop making a scene; you're attracting attention." their father snapped.

"Attracting attention, am I? Well, you should be the one to talk! Kauri--!"

"I'm Ali!"

"D'you think I don't know the names of my own daughter? Ali, Medea, Kauri, and Ty Lee!" She was pointing at random people and objects throughout the room; maybe she should be locked in a mental asylum.

Ty Lee, about to slink away, was pulled back by Kauri. "D'you see it?" she whispered urgently.

"See—?" Ty Lee was about to ask, but a glance at their parents from across them answered the question.

It all became clear; the reason behind their father's aloof behavior from the moment he entered the academy, her mother's obvious distress at every little thing, and even why they didn't bring up the subject of marriage for the girls while they were there—their father wanted to separate from her.

**Azula**

Maybe being in the kitchens did have its benefits; because of her 'status' as an aid, she'd had access to the herb room.

Inside the dimly-lit though ventilated room, Azula had to cover her nose so that she would not get a headache from the abundance of smells that assaulted her nose the moment she opened the door.

Reaching up, she grabbed the knot of a string with a certain herb threaded in them like a needle with a thread. Before she suffocated, Azula ran out of the room; closing the door and looking closely at the foliage.

**Mai**

'…_and so we regret that…'_ If there was a bigger lie than that, then she would kiss the next guy she laid eyes on at the Spring Fête.

"I bet she told one of her pages to write it." Mai murmured; crumpling up the note and tossing it.

* * *

"Happy New Year!" Cheers echoed through the hallways of the academy. According to the astronomy teacher, it was the beginning of the next year. 

Kyonyuu-Sama had relented and the teachers were passing out glasses of liquor for the occasion; one for every student over the age of twelve. The younger girls only received dry ginger ale and they politely sipped at it.

As Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula were all holding their drinks and talking to one another, some of the drunker patrons began to stumble across the floor over to the 'children's' area.

"I don't understand why they would give liquor to them." Mai pointed out.

"Really; just look at those idiots swaying and slurring, that flaky headmistress is stupider than I thought!" Azula said with disgust.

Both Ty Lee and Mai stared at each other; silently bringing up the subject of Azula's recent obsession with what she called 'revenge'. The last time they'd spoken, in the library, Azula was rummaging through the informative scrolls about—of all things—mint leaves and their affects.

* * *

"If this doesn't work…" Azula murmured as she continued to stir the small pot of thoroughly torn mint leaves and boiling water. 

The academy had a teacher who taught about herbs—how to find them, extract the needed parts out of them, et cetera—and she'd been gullible enough to tell Azula everything she'd needed to know; assuming that the first year just wanted to learn. The smell of mint had already begun to fill the air; even with the windows opened.

As she continued to work on her potion, she mumbled to herself like a mad scientist. Placing the 'juice' into a metal pan, Azula left it on the window ledge; letting the mixture cool down a bit.

"Trying to throw yourself out the window?" A voice taunted from behind her. It was Amaeru with a smirk on her features.

Azula smiled back; her eyes oozing malice.

**Later**

When night came, when Hinagata's snoring confirmed that all of them were asleep, Azula grabbed the metal pot and, after critically inspecting it, took out the remains of the leaves and carefully poured the contents of her small pot into the small bottle that was supposed to be for Amaeru's face oil; quietly humming.

**Breakfast, the next day**

As everyone was breaking fast, a loud shriek of resistance was heard from outside the doors.

Upon bursting open, Amaeru was being dragged in by two 'guardians'; her attire in disarray, her hair uncombed, and half of her face a bright pink and covered with plague-like boils. There were many audible gasps by those who were able to see.

The guardians dropped her at the feet of the three stairs that led to the upper platform where the teachers ate.

"Kyonyuu-Sama; this girl was found loitering in her chambers and the washroom." One of the guardians reported.

Azula turned to Mai; unfazed by what had happened and what was happening.

"Mai, please do pass me the honey." She crooned.

Mai passed her the golden pot; watching as Azula took out a large dollop, partially spread it onto her piece of crispy bread and gobbled it with relish.

* * *

Azula never was passive, was she? 


End file.
